U.K.’s Starmer Lashes Out at Trump Following New American Opposition to Plan To Cede Control of Indian Ocean Island Hosting Critical American Military Base

As President Trump tries to purchase Greenland from the Danes in an effort to shore up American national security overseas, another flashpoint is brewing over Chagos island, which Britain’s prime minister said Wednesday he will transfer back to Mauritius despite Mr. Trump’s new opposition to abandoning ownership of the home to the U.S.-UK airbase, Diego Garcia.On Wednesday, Keir Starmer got visibly angry during Parliament’s questions period after a vote on ceding sovereignty to Mauritius and leasing the airbase for $134 million per year failed in the House of Lords. Mr. Starmer said Mr. Trump has changed his position on the island to justify his ambition to annex Greenland for the United States. “President Trump deployed words on Chagos yesterday that were different to his previous words of welcome and support when I met him in the White House. He deployed those words yesterday for the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland,” he said. “I will not yield, Britain will not yield, on our principles and values on the future of Greenland and the threat of tariffs.”His opponents, including the Conservative opposition leader, Kami Badenoch, who also opposes an American takeover of Greenland, say it is inconsistent of Mr. Starmer to support the people of Greenland in deciding whether they wish to be Danish or American, but not to support the right of Chaggosians, who were displaced by the British during its annexation of the island, to decide whether they wish to be Mauritian. Mr. Starmer called that “naked opportunism” to score political points.Diego Garcia has been one of the most strategically important bases for American security for decades. Most recently, it has been the launchpad for attacks against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. It previously has served as the launch point for bombers in both Iraq wars, and is home to American naval deployments and destroyer operations. It is the logistics headquarters for Central, Africa, Pacific and European Command as well as the home of Space Force tracking and intelligence.The return of the island, which was annexed by the United Kingdom when it granted the rest of Mauritius independence in 1965, follows a 2019 International Court of Justice opinion and other U.N. resolutions demanding that the United Kingdom abandon its territorial hold. A deal was signed in May 2025 — applauded at the time by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — to transfer sovereignty, but maintain the base on a 99-year lease with a 40-year extension option.Mr. Starmer contends that giving up Chagos would secure the airbase while also resolving potential legal issues in international courts that could shut down operations. The United States does not acknowledge the jurisdictional authority of the international court on such disputes.The United States and United Kingdom would still maintain its critical Indian Ocean base, but with Mr. Trump’s new attention on American security and ownership of its outposts, he said Tuesday that it would be stupid to give it back.“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 Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” the president wrote on his media platform TruthSocial.“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. … The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired. Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING,” he continued.The deputy chairman of the Conservative party, Parliamentarian Matt Vickers, said Tuesday’s vote on the transfer, which failed in the House of Commons, would undermine British security. “This deal will cost billions and put national security at risk,” he wrote on X. Ratification is necessary in both chambers of Parliament and in Mauritius for the deal to go through.

U.K.’s Starmer Lashes Out at Trump Following New American Opposition to Plan To Cede Control of Indian Ocean Island Hosting Critical American Military Base

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