Labour’s Chagos deal is given green light by Donald Trump – as US President says he has ‘a feeling it’s going to work out very well’_Nhy
Labour‘s Chagos deal was given the thumbs-up by Donald Trump last night as the President said he had ‘a feeling it’s going to work out very well’.
Paving the way for the controversial agreement ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius to go ahead, he said that the US would be ‘inclined to go along with’ Britain.
The deal, at a reported cost of £9 billion over the 99-year term, will see the UK hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius but lease back the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia.
Sitting next to Sir Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House last night, Mr Trump indicated his support.
‘We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well,’ he said.
‘I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.’
But Mr Trump did sound a note of caution, saying he had not yet seen the details. ‘It’s a little bit early, we have to yet be given the details, but it doesn’t sound bad,’ the President added.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, for a bilateral meeting at the White House
The deal, at a reported cost of £9 billion over the 99-year term, will see the UK hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius but lease back the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia
Mr Trump’s comments will come as a relief to No10, as a number of US Republicans and allies of Mr Trump have previously attacked the deal.
But last night Tory justice spokesman Robert Jenrick said: ‘Surrendering British territory remains an appalling betrayal of the British people.’
He added: ‘America might think it is their interest. But it is not ours. There is no good legal reason to give up the Chagos Islands and it would be a strategic disaster for Britain.’
And yesterday, a minister admitted that it would be ‘very, very odd’ if the UK acted ‘unilaterally’ in its deal to give away the Chagos Islands.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said it was ‘absolutely essential’ that the UK partners with the US over the agreement.
His comments came a day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal would not go ahead without Mr Trump’s backing.
Mr Lammy said on Wednesday he still believed the agreement to cede the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius was the ‘best deal’ which could be struck.
His comments came a day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, said the deal would not go ahead without Mr Trump’s backing
Asked by ITV’s Peston programme if the US leader had a veto on the agreement, the Foreign Secretary replied: ‘If President Trump doesn’t like the deal, the deal will not go forward.’
He explained: ‘The reason for that is because we have a shared military and intelligence interest with the United States, and of course they’ve got to be happy with the deal, or there is no deal.’ But Sir Keir admitted this week that extra cash announced for defence could be used to fund the Chagos deal.
The Prime Minister was accused of having ‘all but confessed’ that the cost of ‘surrendering’ the territory would come from the hiked defence budget.
On Tuesday, he announced that the Government will meet its manifesto commitment to raise military spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP two years early.
And Sir Keir told MPs that the £6 billion-a-year boost by 2027 is for ‘our capability on defence and security in Europe’.
But he then described the contentious deal being negotiated with Mauritius as ‘extremely important for our security’.
