President Donald Trump has told The Telegraph he is “very disappointed” in Keir Starmer after the Prime Minister initially refused to allow the United States to use the Diego Garcia air base in the Indian Ocean for strikes on Iran.
In comments reported by The Telegraph, the US president said Sir Keir “took far too long” to grant permission and suggested such hesitation was unprecedented in modern Anglo American relations. Britain had at first declined to approve the use of Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, citing concerns over international law. Only on Sunday night did the Prime Minister agree to limited American use of the base for what he described as specific defensive purposes.
For a government that claims to prize the special relationship, the delay was an extraordinary misstep. Trump indicated that he believed Sir Keir had been overly preoccupied with legal anxieties, remarking that it sounded as though the Prime Minister was worried about the legality of the operation. That caution, in Trump’s view, came at the expense of resolve.
The dispute has also cast fresh doubt over the Labour Government’s handling of the Chagos Islands. According to The Telegraph, Trump withdrew his backing for Sir Keir’s controversial plan to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia. He criticised the approach as misguided and suggested Britain should have retained control outright rather than conceding ownership.
Importantly, the agreement has not yet been ratified, meaning it could still be halted or blocked before it takes legal effect. That leaves open the possibility of political or legal intervention to stop the transfer. The Chagos islands could still remain British as per the wishes of the Chagossian settlers.
Starmer’s proposed deal has already faced legal and political opposition. The Great British PAC has been championing court challenges brought on behalf of Chagossians, arguing that their rights and interests have been sidelined in the rush to strike a deal with Mauritius. Critics say the arrangement risks weakening Britain’s strategic position while failing to deliver justice to displaced islanders.
Trump reportedly described the Chagos agreement as “a very woke thing”, adding that it would have been better legally and strategically for Britain to keep ownership of the territory. His frustration appears to have deepened after the Pentagon requested access to British facilities to target Iranian missile capabilities and was rebuffed, at least initially.
The Telegraph reports that within an hour of Sir Keir finally granting approval, an Iranian drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Although there were no casualties, British personnel were placed on alert and families have since been moved from the base. The episode underlined the volatility of the situation and the risks inherent in hesitation.
Despite voicing support for degrading Iran’s military capacity, Sir Keir has stopped short of committing British forces to offensive operations alongside the United States and Israel. That half in, half out posture has satisfied few critics. Republicans in Washington have expressed irritation at the delay, while at home the Prime Minister faces questions over both the Chagos settlement and his broader strategic judgement.
Diego Garcia remains a pivotal asset. Situated roughly 2,400 miles from Iran’s southern coast, it lies beyond the reach of Iranian ballistic missiles yet within range for US long distance bombers. Britain argues that leasing the base back from Mauritius over a 99 year period is the only way to guarantee its continued operation, at a projected cost running into tens of billions of pounds.
In his remarks to The Telegraph, Trump claimed operations against Iran were progressing faster than expected and said Tehran’s leadership had been severely weakened. He also suggested that Iranian officials were now keen to negotiate.
The episode has exposed a Prime Minister who appears reactive rather than decisive, cautious to the point of paralysis, and willing to gamble Britain’s strategic leverage in the Indian Ocean. For a leader who promised seriousness and stability, the spectacle of transatlantic frustration and legal confusion is an awkward inheritance of his own making.
Source: The Telegraph exclusive interview with Donald Trump.
