Trump aide brands UK plan to hand over Chagos Islands ‘calamitous’
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It comes as Mauritian government sources told The Independent that a final draft of a revised Chagos deal is now on the table. A senior aide to Donald Trump has reinforced reports that the new president is determined to block Britain’s plan to hand over the Chagos Islands, describing the plan as calamitous.
![[Mr Trump is considering vetoing the controversial deal approved by Sir Keir Starmer]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/21/08/2194441818.jpg)
In a series of withering remarks, Robert Wilkie - tasked to implement the president’s foreign policy - said the decision was “haphazard”, arguing that “not much thought” had been put into it. He said the islands were a vital part of the UK-US “united front” on defence.
The comments underline claims - first reported by The Independent - that Mr Trump aims to veto the controversial deal approved by Sir Keir Starmer. It comes as the UK attempts to renegotiate the deal previously agreed with Mauritius after the newly elected administration raised objections to the original agreement.
Foreign secretary David Lammy had agreed a deal with Mauritius, but following a change of government there, the new Mauritian prime minister Navin Ramgoolam rejected it as “not good enough” and demanded more concessions from the UK. A senior Mauritian government source told The Independent that a “final draft” of a revised Chagos agreement is now on the table. A second source said the final version of the deal is now awaiting final approval from the Trump administration in the US, after Sir Keir agreed to put the Chagos decision on hold to allow the new president to consider the matter.
