Trump approves Starmer’s Chagos deal despite calling it an ‘act of great stupidity’

US president backs down over Labour prime minister’s plans to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a deal the government says is necessary to secure the future of the crucial UK-US Diego Garcia military base

Donald Trump has dramatically U-turned on his opposition to Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial Chagos Islands deal, signalling his support just weeks after he described it as an act of “great stupidity”.

His comments triggered a political firestorm that led to the prime minister accusing the US president of using the agreement to try to pressure him over Greenland.

In new comments on his Truth Social platform, however, he described the agreement as “the best” the Labour leader could strike.

The furious row erupted over Sir Keir’s plans to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a deal the government says is necessary to secure the future of the crucial UK-US Diego Garcia military base.

Starmer accused Trump of using the Chagos handover deal to try to pressure him over Greenland (PA)

Ministers secured US backing for the deal last year. And in February last year, the president told Sir Keir during a visit to the White House that he was “inclined to go with your country” and that he had “a feeling it’s going to work out very well”.

But in a move that sent shockwaves through Downing Street last month, the US president denounced it as “an act of great stupidity”.

In return, Sir Keir accused him of trying to pressure the UK into supporting America’s plans to take over Greenland.

Now using a post on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote that he had had "very productive discussions" with Sir Keir about the deal.

Under the plan, which will cost £35bn over the next century, the UK will cede sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius but lease back the facility on the island of Diego Garcia.

Mr Trump said: "I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, (is) the best he could make.

"However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers US operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia.

"Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a Base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense."

The government has agreed to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius (PA)

Sir Keir withdrew his Chagos Islands bill in the face of a shock backlash over the deal from the US, days after Mr Trump’s outburst.

But the latest climbdown from the president allows it to return to the House of Lords.

It is not the only climbdown over the UK Mr Trump has performed in recent weeks.

He also U-turned on his slurs against British soldiers in Afghanistan after sparking widespread outrage for his false claims made about Nato allies.

The US president initially claimed they had avoided the front lines during the war in Afghanistan.

Sir Keir raised the comments directly with the US president during a phone call and hours later Mr Trump paid tribute to “the great and very brave soldiers of the United Kingdom”.

The prime minister had joined Prince Harry, veterans and politicians from across the political spectrum in condemning Mr Trump’s claims, with Sir Keir calling them “appalling” and demanding an apology.

Critics had pointed to both the number of non-US coalition deaths in Afghanistan and Mr Trump’s own avoidance of military service in Vietnam.

Downing Street said the PM spoke with the president and “agreed on the importance of the deal to secure the joint UK–US base on Diego Garcia, which remains vital to shared security interests. The UK and US will continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal, they agreed”.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Mr Trump supported Sir Keir’s plans.

Ms Leavitt said:"He [Trump] spoke with Prime Minister Starmer directly. He understands Prime Minister Starmer's position, and he supports it, but as the president reiterated in that statement, of course, the United States reserves the right to protect our assets.

“We still have a military base, of course, on the island of Diego Garcia, and so the President reiterated to the prime minister, and to all of you that the United States will never waiver if necessary in protecting our assets anywhere in the world but including on Diego Garcia, and he supports the prime minister's decision."

The Tories said they would continue fighting the Chagos deal “to the end”.

Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson’s shameful Chagos surrender remains an absolutely terrible deal for Britain.

“Handing over British sovereign territory and £35bn of taxpayers’ money to an ally of China represents, in the president’s own words, an act of total weakness.

“The President’s statement today recognises a critical weakness in the Surrender deal – the lease could fall apart, leaving our national security and that of our allies in even greater doubt. The deal is clearly a threat to our national security and is a massive strategic blunder.

“The Conservative Party’s view is unchanged. We have led the fight against this appalling Surrender and we will continue fighting it to the end.”