Britain and the US have a joint military base on Diego Garcia, the biggest of the Chagos Islands. Photograph: Alamy/PADonald Trump wants to stop Britain returning some islands in the Indian Ocean to its former colony of Mauritius. The dependencies included the Chagos Islands, which were mostly populated by the descendants of enslaved people who had been brought there from East Africa to work on coconut plantations. In May last year, the Labour government concluded an agreement that recognised the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia. If Trump wishes to use Diego Garcia for his next attack on Iran, he will need Starmer’s approval and this could prove difficult.

Source: The Irish Times February 19, 2026 08:06 UTC