Donald Trump has flip-flopped over whether Sir Keir Starmer should ‘give in to wokeism’ and hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius, a day after approving the deal.
His defiant message comes as dozens of planes head towards the Middle East with tensions between Iran and the US reaching a breaking point after nuclear talks.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president said Sir Keir would be making ‘a big mistake’ if he proceeded with plans to hand over the islands – which are home to a joint US-UK military base.
The plans would see the UK lease the base on Diego Garcia from Mauritius at a cost of £35 billion over the next century.
On Tuesday, the US State Department said it ‘supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago’.
But in his post on Wednesday, Mr Trump said leases were ‘no good’, adding the base could be necessary for a strike on Iran.
He said: ‘Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease.
‘This land should not be taken away from the UK and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally.
‘We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the UK, but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. Do not give away Diego Garcia.’