Donald Trump is looking to veto Labour’s Chagos Islands surrender deal in a fresh blow to Sir Keir Starmer’s foreign ambitions.
The giveaway had been endorsed by Joe Biden – but in light of Trump’s blowout victory last week, the President-elect is understood to be taking legal advice from the Pentagon on how to kill it off.
Trump’s transition team – thanks to pressure from Nigel Farage’s allies – is now looking into canning the controversial deal, The Independent revealed.
Farage told the newspaper ahead of his scathing remarks in the Commons today that Trump would be moving to veto the surrender.
“It’s happening,” he said.
Trump’s transition team is now looking into canning the controversial deal
REUTERS
Meanwhile, a US government source said: “Trump has received a UK-sourced briefing on Chagos, and has asked the presidential transition team to work with the Pentagon to get legal advice.
“He has expressed a stance in principle to object to the deal if elected on the advice of the Department of Defense based on their global security posture.”
It’s understood that the British briefing on the islands was put together thanks to top Brexiteer lawyer Martin Howe KC – and tells of how David Lammy’s surrender was only based on an “advisory” notice by the International Court of Justice.
And it’s not just British figures raising fears over the archipelago.
LATEST AS THE CHAGOS FALLOUT GROWS:
Top Trump allies Mike Waltz (left) and Marco Rubio (right) have both pointed to the looming threat of China
GETTY/REUTERS
Top Trump allies Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio have both pointed to the looming threat of China – which counts Mauritius as an ally – over the islands.
Waltz said: “Should the UK cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum.”
Trump’s Secretary of State pick Marco Rubio said the deal was “concerning, as it would provide an opportunity for communist China to gain valuable intelligence on our naval support facility in Mauritius”.
Farage laid into the surrender in the Commons today
PA
Just today, Labour’s overseas territories minister Stephen Doughty had to fend off a barrage of criticism from the British Right about the surrender.
Leading the charge was Farage himself, who pointed to his own warnings to the Foreign Secretary six weeks prior “that it was an enormous mistake to do this, given that we had a US presidential election coming up on November 5”.
He continued: “And if you say to me: ‘Well, yes, it’s OK, the United States are fully in favour’… Really?
“I can tell you that the incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz has form on this, right back to when [former foreign secretary James Cleverly] was doing his best to give away the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
Farage ripped into Foreign Secretary David Lammy over the surrender six weeks prior
PA
“Indeed, he wrote to Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken at the time.
“There is, I can assure you, having been in America last week, knowing also the incoming defence secretary [Pete Hegseth] very well, there is outright hostility to this deal.
“Whatever is said about a lease agreement, as we saw with Hong Kong, these agreements can very, very easily be broken.
“Diego Garcia was described to me by a senior Trump adviser as the most important island on the planet as far as America was concerned,” Farage added.