Shadow Defence Minister Mark Francois has called for President Trump to veto the Chagos deal, describing it as a potential “reverse Love, Actually moment”.
Speaking to GB News, the Conservative MP criticised the Government’s handling of the agreement with Mauritius over the strategically important Indian Ocean territory.
Francois expressed frustration at Labour ministers repeatedly refusing to answer “key questions” about the deal’s financial implications during a debate on the matter in the House of Commons.
Francois told GB News host Martin Daubney: “Again and again, Government ministers refused to answer two key questions. The first was, how much would this cost? Deadpanned every time.”
Mark Francois hopes Donald Trump will U-turn on his support of the Chagos deal
GB News / Reuters
He continued: “And two is part of this recent increase in defence spending, which we welcome, going to be used to go straight to Mauritius in order to lease back an island that we already own.”
Francois drew a stark comparison to the Falkland Islands situation: “It would be bonkers for us to spend £18billion to give that to Argentina, to lease back the Falkland Islands,” he stated.
He questioned the logic behind the Chagos arrangement, asking: “So why on earth are we proposing to give £18billion to Mauritius to lease back a strategically vital facility that we own in the first place?”
The Shadow Minister dismissed the proposal in blunt terms: “It’s mad,” he concluded.
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Donald Trump has claimed that the US will ‘go along with Britain’ in their Chagos deal
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Francois offered a direct appeal to US President Donald Trump regarding the Chagos situation.
“We very much hope there’ll be a reverse Love Actually moment and Trump will put Starmer out of his misery on Chagos,” he said.
The Shadow Defence Minister suggested this intervention would free up significant resources.
He emphasised that rejecting the deal would allow Britain to “spend all of that money on defence instead.”
Francois told GB News
GB News
Francois linked the Chagos debate to an earlier discussion on Ukraine in Parliament.
He noted there was “absolute unanimity” that Ukraine must be included in any negotiations about its future.
The Shadow Minister also highlighted cross-party agreement that “under no circumstances can Putin be allowed to win”.
Francois warned about broader strategic implications, stating: “The road to Taiwan runs through Ukraine.”