A startled British government on Tuesday defended its decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after President Trump attacked the plan, which his administration previously supported. Islanders who were displaced to make way for the U.S. base on Diego Garcia say they weren’t consulted and worry the deal will make it harder for them to go home. Badenoch said in an X post that Trump is right and that Starmer’s “plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and hands away our sovereign territory. The Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814, when they were ceded by France. The U.K.-Mauritius deal calls for a resettlement fund to be created for displaced islanders to help them move back to the islands — apart from Diego Garcia.

Source: The Times January 21, 2026 01:10 UTC