Donald Trump’s election victory “should force a rethink of the Chagos deal” as he supported Britain’s efforts to keep the islands when he was last President.
Senior Conservatives have demanded a review of the UK’s agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, called on ministers to scrap their plans and work with the incoming Trump administration to prioritise defence interests.
She accused Labour of failing to “defend this country’s national interests” through their handling of the Chagos Islands agreement.
Donald Trump had previously supported Britain’s efforts to keep control of the Chagos Islands
Reuters
“In their haste to surrender the Chagos Islands, Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy have shown how weak and feeble this Labour government is,” she said.
The shadow foreign secretary criticised Labour for being “unwilling to defend the security and defence of our country and our allies”.
She emphasised that Trump’s election presents “an opportunity to review this decision and work constructively with the new US administration to ensure that our defence is always put first”.
The deal, announced last month, would transfer sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, including a 99-year lease arrangement for the US military base on Diego Garcia.
Critics fear the agreement could leave the strategically important archipelago vulnerable to Chinese surveillance operations.
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Keir Starmer has been slammed for his decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius
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Several senior Republican figures have voiced strong opposition to the Chagos Islands agreement.
Marco Rubio, a potential Trump secretary of state, warned the deal “would provide an opportunity for communist China to gain valuable intelligence on our naval support facility”.
James Risch, senior member of the Senate foreign relations committee, criticised the move as giving in to “Chinese lawfare” at the expense of US and UK strategic interests.
Michael McCaul, chair of the House foreign affairs committee, stressed that the Diego Garcia base was “essential to countering China and co-ordinating allies in the Indo-Pacific”.
A 99-year lease arrangement for the US military base on Diego Garcia was included in the deal
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Donald Trump previously backed Britain’s efforts to maintain control of the Chagos Islands during his last presidency, according to The Telegraph.
His administration submitted a legal document supporting the UK’s position that the International Court of Justice should not interfere in the sovereignty dispute.
Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former secretary of state, emphasised that British sovereignty over Diego Garcia was “essential to the value of the joint US-UK base”.
The revelation suggests Trump could oppose Sir Keir Starmer’s recent deal to transfer the islands to Mauritius, which received support from Joe Biden’s administration.
