Donald Trump has accused Keir Starmer of “an act of great stupidity” over the decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
In an extraordinary attack, the US president said: “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”
His comments, in a late-night post on Truth Social, come after Starmer criticised Trump’s “completely wrong” decision to threaten the UK and seven other European nations with tariffs for opposing his plan to take over Greenland.
The government announced last year that it was going ahead with the Chagos deal, which will see the UK pay Mauritius £9 billion over the next 99 years so the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia will continue to operate as it does at the moment.
Trump gave the deal his blessing at the time, but has now performed a stunning about-turn.
He said: “Shockingly, our “brilliant” NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired. Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING.”
