Mr Trump said he thought the US would be “inclined to go along” with Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius when the two leaders met at the White House on Thursday.
Donald Trump “recognises the strength” of the Chagos Islands deal, Downing Street said after the US president signalled he would back it.
“We welcome the fact that the president recognises the strength of this deal, which is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect UK security,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said on Friday.
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside the Prime Minister, Mr Trump said: “We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”.
He said it was a “very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease” and that “I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.”.
