'It's happening!': Trump to veto Chagos Islands deal

The Independent understands the president-elect is seeking legal advice from the Pentagon to challenge the agreement

- DAVID MADDOX

The future of the Chagos Islands and a secretive UK/US airbase is set to be an early flashpoint between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer as the president-elect seeks to veto the controversial deal signed off by the prime minister and endorsed by Joe Biden, it can be revealed.

The Independent understands that Mr Trump’s transition team has requested legal advice from the Pentagon over the agreement that handed the Chagos Islands, which is under British control, to Mauritius. US government sources say Mr Trump is looking to veto the deal, which is set to come into force after his inauguration in January, over global security fears.

The decision to veto the deal comes after The Independent revealed how allies of Nigel Farage had pushed Mr Trump’s team to investigate the consequences of the Chagos Islands agreement ahead of last week’s US election. Ahead of an urgent question in the Commons yesterday, Mr Farage told The Independent that Mr Trump would be attempting to veto the deal. He said: “It’s happening!”

The islands, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, are seen as strategically important in southeast Asia. America uses the base on the atoll of Diego Garcia for ships and long-range bombers.