Politics live: Trump warns Starmer is making ‘big mistake’ in fresh attack over Chagos Islands deal
Farage backs Trump in calls for UK to scrap Chagos Islands dealNigel Farage has supported Donald Trump’s calls for Keir Starmer to scrap the Chagos Islands deal, which the US president said was a “big mistake". “Keir Starmer risks alienating our most important ally by giving away the Chagos Islands, the worst deal in British history,” the leader of Reform said.“President Trump is right to say the Prime Minister is making a big mistake. Starmer must cancel this deal.”Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 23:00Starmer previously said Trump U-turned on Chagos Deal over GreenlandKeir Starmer previously accused Donald Trump of backtracking on the Chagos Islands deal in an attempt to apply pressure on the prime minister over his position on Greenland. Donald Trump, who has sought to annex the territory, changed his mind last month on the deal and said it was “an act of great stupidity”. Speaking at PMQs last month, Starmer said: “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 wants me to yield on my position, and I'm not going to do so.”Starmer tells Trump he 'will not yield' on Greenland under threat of tariffsHarriette Boucher18 February 2026 22:30Donald Trump's statement on Chagos Islands deal in full:“I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is ‘claiming’ Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean. “Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before. “In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature. Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries. Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease. “This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally. “We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 22:03Trump slates Starmer over Chagos deal: full reportJane Dalton18 February 2026 20:51A complete timeline of Trump's flip-flopping over Chagos Islands deal:Donald Trump has hit out at Keir Starmer, saying he is making a huge mistake with the Chagos Islands deal. It is yet another flip-flop from the US president, who has previously supported the agreement.Here is a timeline of his administration’s U-turns:Trump says Chagos Islands talks “going to work out very well” In February 2025, Trump indicated he would be prepared to back the deal, saying: "They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years actually."That's a long time, and I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country."Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Starmer, he said: “We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”Trump “welcomes” the deal Following the announcement of the deal in May, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said: “President Trump has welcomed the deal along with other allies, because they see the strategic importance of this base and that we cannot cede the ground to others who would seek to do us harm.“Following a comprehensive interagency review, the Trump Administration determined that this agreement secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-UK military facility at Diego Garcia.” Trump brands Chagos Islands deal an “act of great stupidity” In January, Trump launched an attack on Starmer, saying: “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.” Trump says deal is best Starmer could get In February, Trump again backtracked, and signalled his support for the deal, saying it was the “best he could make” In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, (is) the best he could make.”US State Department “supports” agreementOn Tuesday The US State Department on Tuesday said it “supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago”.Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 20:40Foreign office defends Chagos Islands dealThe UK’s foreign office has said the Chagos Islands deal is crucial for UK security in response to Donald Trump’s criticisms earlier.A FCDO spokesperson said: “The deal to secure the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia military is crucial to the security of the UK and our key allies, and to keeping the British people safe. “The agreement we have reached is the only way to guarantee the long-term future of this vital military base.” Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 20:26What caused Trump to U-turn on Chagos Islands deal? Analysis by The Independent’s White House Correspondent Andrew Feinberg:It's unclear what has triggered Mr Trump's latest switcharoo on the Chagos deal and plans to lease back Diego Garcia, but the agreement has been the subject of much transatlantic hand-wringing even before the president's 2024 election victory over Kamala Harris.In the months before American voters chose to return Trump to power after four years in political exile following his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, legal experts aligned with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage drew up advice that was fed to Mr Trump with the aim of having him scuttle the deal if given the chance.Yet Mr Trump signaled his assent to the agreement last February during an Oval Office meeting with Mr Starmer in which he said he "had a feeling it is going to work out very well" and said he thought he'd be "inclined to go along" with the agreement despite a fierce lobbying campaign against it by Mr Farage and others.In the year since, he has flip-flopped several times, most recently today when he again claimed to oppose the Chagos handover while urging the U.K. to "remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them."White House officials aren't saying what has prompted the president's latest change of heart, but his invocation of "wokeism" is a strong indicator that he now sees the planned handover to an African government as something akin to the reparations that many American progressives say are owed to the descendants of slaves.Explanations from No. 10 that have been based on invoking international law to justify the deal are also likely falling flat with Mr Trump, who has spent much of his first year in office pushing for the U.S. to annex Greenland, the sovereign territory of a Nato ally, Denmark.Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 20:23What is the UK’s Chagos Islands deal and why has Starmer delayed it?Last year, Sir Keir agreed a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control of the UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia.In return, the UK has been promised a 99-year lease on the base, in return for an average annual fee of £101m in current prices. The government estimates this will mean a total cost of £3.4bn.These islands are currently governed by the UK as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), and have been in some form since 1814. In 1965, the UK and US officially detached the islands from Mauritius for joint defence purposes, creating a separate colony and forcibly removing native Chagossians soon after.Mauritius will be free to arrange the resettlement of Chagossians on all islands in the archipelago under the terms, except for Diego Garcia.Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 19:58Trump's Chagos Islands defiance is 'utter humiliation' for StarmerDonald Trump’s criticism of Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal is “utter humiliation” for the prime minister, the shadow foreign secretary said. In a statement, Dame Priti Patel said: "President Trump has once again publicly rebuked Keir Starmer and his Government over their ill-judged, unnecessary and expensive Chagos Surrender. This is an utter humiliation for Starmer."It's time Starmer finally saw sense, u-turned and scrapped this appalling deal altogether. Giving up British sovereign territory to an ally of China and paying for the privilege is irresponsible and reckless and is clearly undermining our relationship with our most important ally."While Starmer, Labour and their leftie lawyer friends threaten to undermine our security and defence, the Conservatives will keep fighting against the Chagos Surrender for as long as it takes."(House of Commons)Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 19:57Ed Davey calls for closer ties to Europe amid Trump's Chagos Islands commentsDonald Trump's position change on the Chagos Islands deal shows that the UK needed to pursue closer relations with Europe, Sir Ed Davey said. In a statement on X, the Liberal Democrat leader said: "Trump's endless flip-flopping on the Chagos Islands shows why Starmer's approach is doomed to fail."Britain can't rely on the US while Trump is in the White House. It's time to strengthen our ties with allies we can depend on, starting with our neighbours in Europe."Harriette Boucher18 February 2026 19:54
