Kemi Badenoch Calls for Trump’s ‘Foreign Interference’ in UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Deal

Kemi Badenoch has called on Donald Trump to intervene and block the British Government’s deal to handover the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a call for a “foreign power” to intervene in the UK’s sovereign interests.

In a briefing with journalists on Wednesday, Badenoch’s spokesman said she wanted the US administration to intervene in what he described as the “Chagos surrender”.

The call comes despite the deal being largely negotiated under the Conservatives while Kemi Badenoch was a senior serving minister. 

When asked directly if he wanted Donald Trump to block the deal, the spokesman said: “If it is as it is rumoured to be, yes.”

Byline Times asked if they could confirm they wanted a “foreign power” to intervene over the wishes of the elected British government. 

The spokesman responded: “[We do] want a foreign power to stop the Labour Government doing something which is not only a ruinous burden to taxpayers, but also a massive loss of strategic advantage in the South Indian Ocean.”

The Chagos Islands, which include the strategically significant Diego Garcia military base used by both British and American forces, have been the subject of a long-running dispute, with the UK’s possession of it viewed to be in breach of international law. 

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The International Court of Justice ruled in 2019 that the UK’s continued administration of the territory was unlawful, a position endorsed by the UN General Assembly.

Labour ministers have indicated they are close to finalising a deal with Mauritius that would address sovereignty concerns while maintaining a UK-US military base there. 

When pressed on the details of the Conservative position, Badenoch’s spokesperson acknowledged that the previous Conservative government had also engaged in negotiations over the islands’ status.

“There were issues around the status of the Chagos Islands, which is why the previous Conservative Government entered into talks about them, but no deal is better than a bad deal,” they said.

The spokesperson claimed there was “a solution which doesn’t involve giving up territory that we currently own” but was unable to provide details of what this alternative might be when pressed by reporters including from this outlet. 

“I am not involved in the negotiations. I’m not doing the negotiations,” they said when asked to elaborate.

The deal is said to involve billions in compensation to Mauritius, which British right-wingers are claiming is a “surrender”.

“We should not lose our own territory. We should not pay taxpayers money for the privilege,” the Conservative spokesperson said.

When challenged by reporters over the fact that 15 million people had voted for the Labour Government while “not one of them voted for Donald Trump,” the Conservative spokesperson added: “I think that the people who voted the Labour Government to power didn’t do so for them to give up territory and pay £18bn in the process”.

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The UK and Mauritius Governments have both denied that any deal would involve a payment of £18 billion.

The Conservative stance comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to visit Washington for talks with President Trump later this week, where the Chagos issue is expected to be on the agenda.

The deal is expected to include guarantees for continued operation of the Diego Garcia base for decades to come, while addressing the legal status of the wider archipelago.

The Chagos Islands have been a source of controversy since the late 1960s, when the British Government began forcibly removing the indigenous population to make way for the military base. Many former residents and their descendants have fought a long campaign for their right to return.

Responding to the comments, Cal Roscow, Director of Campaigns at Best for Britain told Byline Times: “The leader of the opposition asking a foreign power to undermine our government in a negotiation is a bit disgraceful.

“Badenoch had no complaints when she was in government – while this deal was being struck by the Tories – so we have to ask why she is only finding her voice now?

“To talk about sovereignty in one breath, and then ask the United States to block the British Prime Minister in the next, is beyond comprehension.”

UN Exit?

Badenoch’s spokesman was also asked whether the Conservatives would consider leaving the United Nations – joining Palestine, as well as Kosovo, the Vatican and almost no other countries in becoming a non-member state.

Asked if the UN was serving its purpose, the spokesman said: “I think there are various examples of where you’ve seen the UN has had undue influence from bad faith actors. You look at the UN Human Rights Council, I think [it] had China sat on it despite the persecution of the Uyghur Muslims. You look at UNRWA. So I think that there are obvious issues with the UN, and that’s what [Badenoch] was alluding to.” 

Asked specifically if she would consider “loosening the commitment to membership” he replied that he would “stick with what she said in her speech”.

He was referring to a recent speech from the Conservative leader to the right-wing Policy Exchange think tank, where she claimed “foreign” institutions had been taken over by people that don’t have British interests at heart.

She suggested that a Conservative Government would “probably” seek to quit the European Convention of Human Rights and would now “work” on plans to do so.