Trump is told Chagos Islands ‘are not for sale’ amid reports he wants to buy the territory
Former MP resettles on Chagos Islands to support Chagossians defying UK government
President Donald Trump has been warned that the Chagos Islands “are not a piece of real estate to be sold off” after reports the White House was considering purchasing the territory.
Trump apparently considered purchasing the Chagos Islands, a move opposed by the Chagossian government in exile, which asserts the islands are not for sale and advocates for the resettlement of British Chagossians.
This potential US acquisition emerged amidst Sir Keir Starmer’s stalled plan to transfer British sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, a deal that would involve leasing back the crucial US-UK Diego Garcia military base.
Democratic Unionist Party peer Lord Peter Weir has tabled a cross-party bill in the House of Lords to implement a “triple lock,” requiring parliamentary legislation, Chagossan government agreement, and a Chagossan referendum before any change in sovereignty.
Regarding a sale to Trump and the Mauritius deal, Lord Weir added: “I don’t believe that either people or sovereignty can be up for sale. This is British territory not simply a piece of real estate which can simply be sold off or given away.”
