Government stresses deal was previously welcomed by US as Starmer’s chief secretary insists diplomacy with Trump is working

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, repeatedly claimed towards the end of 2024, after the UK government first announced its deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, that what was then the incoming Trump administration would not accept it. He ended up looking a bit daft when, at a meeting with Keir Starmer in February 2025, President Trump said he thought the deal was “going to work out very well” and when the US confirmed it was happy with the deal a few weeks later. American approval was crucial at that point because the US is the main user of the Diego Garcia airbase it jointly runs with the UK.

In response to Trump’s U-turn on the Chagos Islands, Farage said this morning:

Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.

Paying to surrender the Chagos Islands is not just an act of stupidity, but of complete self sabotage.

I’ve been clear and unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right. Keir Starmer’s plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and hands away our sovereign territory. And to top it off, makes us and our NATO allies weaker in face of our enemies.