UK says it will 'never compromise' on national security after Trump criticizes Chagos Islands deal

'We acted because base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermines our position, would have prevented it operating as intended in future,' says statement

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Britain on Tuesday stressed that it will "never compromise" on national security, pushing back on US President Donald Trump's remarks criticizing its plan to hand over sovereignty of a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean to the East African country of Mauritius.

"The UK will never compromise on our national security," a government spokesperson said in a statement after Trump called the Chagos Islands deal "an act of great stupidity."

The spokesperson said: "We acted because the (UK) base on Diego Garcia (one of the Chagos Islands) was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in the future."

Last May, Britain signed a deal handing over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in exchange for securing a strategically important UK-US military base.

Under the deal, the East African nation gains control of the Chagos Archipelago from the UK, allowing the US and UK to continue operating a strategically important Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.

Last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said if they did not agree on this deal, the legal situation would mean that they "would not be able to prevent China or any other nation" – with China carrying out joint exercises near the base – from setting up their own bases on the outer islands.

"This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out," said the spokesperson.

The statement also told how the deal has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, as well as other international partners including India, Japan, and South Korea.

In the early 19th century, Britain took over the islands after the surrender of French forces.

Mauritius and its dependencies, including the Chagos Islands, were officially proclaimed a colony of Britain in 1814 under the Treaty of Paris.

The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965 by the UK. Mauritius gained independence in 1968.

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