US President Donald Trump has given his backing to the contested Chagos Islands deal between the United Kingdom and Mauritius, the British Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has announced. The 2024 agreement sees the US hand sovereignty over the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius in exchange for a 99-year lease for the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago.
The agreement had needed the approval of Trump since the US shares the operation of the Diego Garcia base with the UK. The PMO assured that Trump had signed off on it, and the arrangements for the handover are now being done between the UK and Mauritius. A spokesman said that efforts were being made with the government of Mauritius to finalize the final agreement and sign the treaty.
The Chagos Islands agreement has also been controversial in the UK, with critics arguing that Britain surrendering its sovereignty over the islands may jeopardize national and Western security interests in the Indo-Pacific. The deal also raised concerns over the terms of payment, which saw Mauritius allegedly asking for more money to seal the deal.
Although the deal had already been approved by the previous US government under President Joe Biden, there were doubts regarding Trump’s position. But in February 2025, Trump signaled his endorsement, describing the deal as “strong” and showing favor towards the long-term rental, which could have a 40-year extension.
The UK Conservative Party has been strong in condemning the deal, and Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel termed it as “economically illiterate.” Patel condemned the deal on its secrecy and on the billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money included in the leaseback arrangement.
The controversy continues to surround the deal politically as the UK and Mauritius struggle to tie down the terms of the deal.
