Overview
- President Donald Trump denounced the Chagos agreement on Truth Social as an "act of great stupidity" and later told reporters he is "against" the deal.
- Under the May 2025 treaty, the U.K. would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia for decades, with reported payments averaging about £101 million a year.
- Downing Street is pressing on with legislation after the Commons rejected Lords amendments, though ministers plan fresh outreach to U.S. officials and a small Labour rebellion exposed political pressure.
- Keir Starmer told Parliament the U.S. stance is intended to pressure Britain over Greenland and said he will not yield, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused the U.K. of "letting us down."
- Mauritius says it still expects the transfer to proceed under international law, while critics warn of security risks tied to Mauritius’s links with China and note that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had initially welcomed the deal.