US anger over Chagos deal, UK ‘letting us down’: US finance minis

Donald Trump with British Prime Minister Starmer.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant has strongly criticized the UK for its decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. He said that the UK is ‘letting us down’ with this decision.

In his remarks before leaving for Davos, Besant said, ‘President Trump has made it clear that we will not leave our national security or regional security in the hands of any other country.’ He also said that London has taken the initiative to hand over the military base in Diego Garcia, which the US and the UK have used together for many years, to Mauritius, which is unacceptable to Washington. In Besant’s words, ‘Our partner, the UK, is letting us down with the base in Diego Garcia. President Trump is very serious about this.’

Earlier, the UK Prime Minister’s Office, Downing Street, said it believed the US still supported the Chagos Treaty, despite Trump calling the deal “an act of utter stupidity” on social media.

The British government said on Tuesday that the Diego Garcia base was at risk due to various court rulings. Therefore, the operation of the joint US-UK military base is being protected for future generations through this agreement. Although the Chagos Islands will be handed over to Mauritius as part of the agreement, the UK will lease the Diego Garcia base for 99 years, with the option to extend it for another 40 years if necessary.

BBC News.