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Donald Trump has slammed Keir Starmer over the Chagos Islands deal, questioning why the UK was giving up strategic territory.
21:32, Tue, Jan 20, 2026 Updated: 21:34, Tue, Jan 20, 2026
Trump questions UK motive for Chagos deal (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has slammed Sir Keir Starmer over the Chagos Islands deal in the latest frustration for the embattled Prime Minister. Mr Trump, speaking at a press conference in the White House, questioned why the United Kingdom was giving up such a strategically important territory asking: "They need the money?"
The US President launched a scathing attack on the government's decision to hand over the islands to Mauritius as he unveiled his achievements at a White House press conference. Mr Trump said he was "against" the controversial deal, which has sparked fury over its cost and wider security concerns.
The President said: "I think that when they were originally going to it they were talking about some concept of ownership. But now they're looking to essentially just do a lease and sell it, and I am against that."
He added: "It's a reasonably important area of the globe - not anywhere near Greenland, but I think they should keep it, I don't know why they don't." In a stinging rebuke of Sir Keir, Mr Trump questioned Britain's motives for surrendering the territory, suggesting that the government could do with the money they planned to give to Mauritius.
Mr Trump added, as reporters shouted for their next question: "They need money?". He also took aim at the wider UK, and appeared to take a slight jibe at Sir Keir and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron saying: "They get a little bit rough when I am not around. [...] They've got to straighten out their countries, London is having a lot of problems."
He said Britain had "two problems, immigration and energy", adding: "They have to stop with the windmills. The UK has an unbelievable asset called the North Sea." Mr Trump's comments came as he presented his accomplishments book at the White House, declaring: "Here's the book on accomplishments." to the room of reporters.
He boasted: "With all the wars I settled, the United Nations didn't help me on one war." The President also launched a blistering defence of his record on NATO, insisting: "I did more for NATO than any other person, alive or dead."
Starmer slammed over Mauritius territory deal (Image: Getty)
But he issued a stark warning about the alliance's reliability, saying: "I really do question whether or not they [NATO] will come to [our rescue]." Mr Trump insisted he had transformed the military alliance, saying: "I think something is going to happen that is going to be very good for everybody. Nobody has done more for NATO that I have [...] in every way. Getting them to go up to 5% of GDP was something nobody thought was possible."
He added: "They are buying a lot of things from us." The President said: "I think that we will work something out where NATO is going to be very happy and we are going to be very happy. But we need it for security purposes, we need it for national security and even world security, it's very important."
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Mr Trump claimed: "I've had such a good relationship, I've made it so much better, so much stronger, it's so good now, NATO is so much stronger now. I don't agree with a lot of the things they've done, but that was done before I got there. I think NATO's been good, sometimes it's overrated sometimes it's not. But we have a strong NATO, when I came here we had a weak NATO."
He warned: "If NATO doesn't have us, NATO is not very strong." Mr Trump made a series of claims throughout the press conference, including one in which he declared: "God is very proud of the job I've done."
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