Chagos: 'Done deal,' say Downing Street sources, according to The Guardian

Sources from Downing Street believe that the agreement is "finalized" and will not be challenged by the American president's change of stance, according to an article published by The Guardian. The British newspaper reported this on its website on Wednesday, January 28.

According to the article, U.S. intelligence agencies disagree with Donald Trump’s recent opposition to the Chagos agreement, said Keir Starmer, emphasizing that the American administration had supported the agreement because it enhanced its defense capabilities. The Prime Minister made these remarks while on a plane to Beijing for a visit focusing on British national security.

Downing Street sources told The Guardian that the agreement, formally approved by Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart last May, is a "done deal" and will not be undermined by the United States.

They clarified that the British government had heard nothing from the U.S. State Department or intelligence agencies that would suggest they had changed their minds, despite Trump’s fiery rhetoric.

According to these sources, the apparent shift in the American president’s position—which has been heavily publicized by conservatives opposed to the Chagos agreement—may be linked to his attempts to acquire the strategically important Arctic territory of Greenland.

When asked if he trusted Trump to honor the commitment he made last year in supporting the agreement, Starmer told reporters:

"I have obviously discussed Chagos with Donald Trump several times. The issue was raised with the White House at the end of last week, over the weekend, and at the beginning of this week. The position, as you know, is that when the Trump administration came in, we paused for three months to allow them to review the Chagos agreement, which they did at the agency level. Once that review was completed, they were very clear in their statements that they supported the agreement—announcements made, if I remember correctly, by the Secretary of Defense, by Marco Rubio, and also by President Trump himself."

Pressed on whether he thought Trump fully understood the agreement—after the latter seemed to misstate some details—Starmer added:

"There was a three-month pause during which his administration examined the matter in detail at the agency level, as it involves security and intelligence.

So it was an examination conducted by the American agencies before they concluded that it was an agreement they wanted to support, which they did, and they supported it very clearly."

Last week, Trump suggested that Britain’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was part of the reasons he wanted to take control of Greenland, posting a series of messages on social media.

He wrote: "Shockingly, our 'brilliant' NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to cede the island of Diego Garcia, site of a vital American military base, to Mauritius, and this WITHOUT ANY REASON.

There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are international powers that only recognize FORCE, which is why the United States, under my leadership, is now, after just one year, respected like never before. The fact that the UK is giving up extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another major reason, among a long list of national security reasons, why Greenland must be acquired."

This pivot initially surprised Downing Street, which believed the agreement had been settled for months. However, it subsequently led to a new and more combative stance from Starmer, who stated that he would "not back down" on the Greenland issue.

The next step in the legislation related to the cession of Chagos has been delayed in the House of Lords, with Downing Street explaining on Wednesday that this was due to discussions with the United States.

A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street stated: "We continue to work with the United States. We have worked with them throughout the development of this treaty and, as ministers have indicated, we are continuing this work."

The Labour government agreed in October 2024 to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will retain an initial 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, where it operates a military base jointly with the United States, for a cost officially estimated at £3.4 billion.

According to British officials, the agreement was concluded under pressure from Washington, as U.S. officials were concerned about what would happen to the base if Mauritius won a case before the International Court of Justice regarding its sovereignty.

At the time, Starmer claimed that the UK had "secured the base in the long term" and that this had been challenged by our adversaries, including China. However, conservatives accused the government of aligning with Beijing.

China abstained during the UN vote, a key step towards the agreement, and experts believe that Beijing privately views this agreement as a setback for China for national security reasons.