Nigel Farage has taken credit for putting the Chagos ‘surrender’ deal back on President Trump’s radar.
Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to launch an extraordinary attack on the deal last night, branding it an “act of great stupidity” and “total weakness”.
Nigel spoke to US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on GB News last night about the deal that will see the archipelago handed over to Mauritius, with the strategically key Diego Garcia military base leased back.
Asked by GB News host Martin Daubney about his “very firm” comments regarding Chagos to the Speaker, Nigel responded: “What we did learn is the Speaker did talk to the President last night.
“I think Mike Johnson might have been surprised about how strong I was on this question.
“I can’t say, ‘game, set, match, GB News’, but I can say we have been very influential in what we have heard from the US President about this surrender overnight.
“You know what? As a channel, we should be proud of ourselves for playing a part in this.”
The Indian Ocean archipelago is approximately 1,250 miles north-east of Mauritius and a UK-US military base can be found on the largest of its islands, Diego Garcia.
Nigel Farage says his remarks to House Speaker Mike Johnson will have put the issue firmly back on President Trump’s radar
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GB NEWS / GETTY
After 214 years of the islands being a British territory governed by Mauritius, the Labour Government is hoping it can now sever ties.
On October 3 last year, the UK announced a deal which would see the sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands handed to Mauritius.
That deal also includes Diego Garcia, but the terms include the UK leasing the island to maintain the military base for a period of 99 years.
This would cost £101 million per year, or £3.4 billion overall when adjusted for inflation, Whitehall has confirmed.
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The cessation has sparked fiery backlash from Labour’s political foes with Reform UK being outspoken in voicing their dismay.
Critics of the proposal believe handing over the islands to Mauritius will benefit China, which has a growing influence in the region.
The Conservative Party has also been mostly critical, despite the process beginning under Rishi Sunak’s government.
Mr Trump’s comments follow months of appearing to back the deal, appearing to ignore the concerns of his close ally Nigel Farage.
He signed the agreement last year, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it “secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia, which is critical to regional and global security”.
The US President appeared to shift his stance last night, taking to his own social media platform in the early hours of Tuesday morning to attack the agreement.
He said the Chagos decision was “another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired”.
He wrote: “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
He continued: “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.”
The Government responded by defended the deal, saying it had been welcomed by key allies, including the US.
A statement reads: “The UK will never compromise on our national security. We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it from operating as intended in the future.
“This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.
“It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan, and South Korea.”
