Keir Starmer’s envoy seeks to woo Donald Trump’s team over Chagos islands row
The president-elect is seeking legal advice from Pentagon in a bid to veto the controversial agreement
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Keir Starmer’s national security adviser will seek to woo Donald Trump’s team over the Chagos islands after The Independent revealed the president-elect fears the controversial deal will be sealed before he even enters the White House.
Jonathan Powell, who negotiated the plan to hand over the islands earlier this year, is to travel to Washington in a bid to persuade Mr Trump not to tear up the agreement.
He is understood to be looking for ways to cancel the arrangement amid security concerns over the crucial joint UK/US base on one of the islands, Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean.
There are also fears the deal, struck by Sir Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy, will allow China access to the islands to build their own rival base.
The Guardian reported that Mr Powell, who worked as Tony Blair’s chief of staff in Downing Street for a decade, is seeking meetings with Trump’s team and is heading to Washington in the coming days. The president-elect’s inauguration is set for 20 January.
Mr Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned in October that the agreement posed “a serious threat” to US national security by ceding the islands to a country allied with China.
Stephen Doughty, the minister for North America, said earlier this month that Mr Trump’s team would be briefed on the details of the deal to “allay any concerns”.
As part of the agreement, the UK and US believe they have secured use of the airbase for at least 99 years, but have so far refused to publish how much they will have to pay to be allowed to use it.
The Independent understands that Mr Trump’s transition team has requested legal advice from the Pentagon over the agreement which will see the Chagos Islands, currently under British control, handed back to Mauritius.
Allies of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage had pushed Mr Trump’s team to investigate the consequences of the deal even before the outcome of the US election.
Mr Farage said the next President’s team viewed the deal with “outright hostility” and would try to challenge it, telling MPs: “Diego Garcia was described to me by a senior Trump adviser as the most important island on the planet as far as America was concerned.”
The row dates back to 1968, after which Mauritius argues it was forced to give up the Chagos Islands away in return for independence from Britain.
Thousands of people were forcibly displaced from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s in a scandal widely condemned as shameful.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments