DONALD Trump has been urged by senior White House officials to block Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial Chagos deal by enforcing a historic treaty dating back to 1966.
This comes after the Don dramatically detonated the agreement on Thursday, condemning Britain’s plans to hand over the Indian Ocean territory and branding the move “an act of great stupidity”.
In an inflammatory post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Baw, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this as an act of total weakness.
“These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.”
Under the terms of Downing Street’s proposed deal, Britain would voluntarily hand sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, before leasing back the Diego Garcia military base.
The facility, built in the 1970s, has served as a critical hub for UK and US military operations for decades.
However, critics warn the plan risks breaching a little-known 1966 treaty between London and Washington.
This treaty asserts British sovereignty over the islands and guarantees they remain available for joint defence purposes.
The legal risk proved serious enough that Sir Keir was forced to pull his bill on Friday amid mounting concern it would violate the agreement.
Now the Trump administration is said to be considering a hardline response – refusing to tear up the treaty or renounce America’s claim to the island.
In any case, sources close to Washington say it is highly unlikely the US would ever recognise Mauritian sovereignty over the strategically vital islands.
On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly accused Britain of letting down the US by even contemplating ceding sovereignty.
This is despite the fact Trump was reportedly ready to give the deal the green light last year.
The growing standoff has reportedly sent the Foreign Office into a frenzy, with officials scrambling to grasp the full significance of the decades-old treaty.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the plan “cannot progress while this issue remains unsolved”.
Starmer’s schmoozing of Trump hasn’t gone to plan
By Noa Hoffman, Political Correspondent
Donald Trump’s Chagos U-turn is huge blow to Sir Keir Starmer – demonstrating his months of schmoozing the President hasn’t paid sufficient dividends.
Downing Street was elated last year when Trump signed off the PM’s Chagos surrender plan, which sparked fury among opposition MPs.
But despite rolling out the red carpet for an historic second state visit and using every opportunity to pander to the President, in a moment of requiring leverage the Chagos lever has been pulled by Washington.
While many will rightfully welcome Trump’s U-turn on the archipelago, it would be naive to believe it is being done in Britain’s security interest.
Clearly, the motive is to provide another justification for threatening to invade Greenland.
Sir Keir has bet the house on using flattery to keep the US President in check.
But he will now have to re-examine whether this is the right strategy to continue with when the stakes are so high on tariffs and Greenland.
The weekend saw Sir Keir change his tone to be more of critical friend than a praising ally.
Downing Street will be weighing up whether to go further and consider retaliatory threats including cancelling an upcoming visit of the King to the US, withdrawing from the World Cup or imposing tariffs back on America.
She added: “Throughout the Chagos debates, Keir Starmer has tried to hide behind the cover of international law.
“Now the Conservatives are exposing that his shameful surrender may be illegal.”
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel also hit out, saying: “He is happy to hand over British sovereign territory and £35billion of taxpayers’ money to an ally of China – even if it conflicts with international law.”
The Government insisted they remained “fully committed to the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital for our national security”.
The Chagos deal has been thrust into the international spotlight this week as the White House intensifies its focus on overseas territories of strategic importance – including Greenland.
Figures in Whitehall fear that if the deal collapses, Mauritius could launch a legal challenge against Downing Street – or worse, attempt to bypass Britain altogether and negotiate directly with Trump.
The fate of the Chagos deal now hinges on whether Trump and the US choose to uphold the historic treaty.
Or whether, as Sir Keir has claimed, this dramatic intervention is merely a pressure tactic designed to force Britain into changing its stance on Greenland.
