Kemi Badenoch: I will not accept Chagos deal just because Trump backs it
The Conservatives will not drop their opposition to the Chagos Islands deal even if it is backed by Donald Trump, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The president of the US on Thursday suggested that he will approve Sir Keir Starmer's plans to hand over the archipelago to Mauritius, despite some expecting he would oppose it.
The deal is controversial because of the UK-US military base on one of the Chagos Islands, Diego Garcia. Marco Rubio, Mr Trump's secretary of state, has in the past criticised the plans.
But Kemi Badenoch insisted that the Chagos Islands 'surrender' remained not in the UK's national interest, regardless of whether Mr Trump backed it or not.
Asked if she would abandon her opposition to the deal if the US president gave it the green light, the Tory leader told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'I don't work for the American president. This is about the UK national interest. It is not in our national interest to give away the Chagos Islands and pay for the privilege of doing so. That is taxpayers' money.'
Mr Trump told journalists in the Oval Office on Thursday: 'We're going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it's going to work out very well.
'They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years. Actually, it's a long time.
'And I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country. Yeah, I think it's a little bit early. We have to be given the details, but it doesn't sound bad.'
The Prime Minister refused to say last week whether the deal, rumoured to cost the UK around £9 billion, would be funded from the Ministry of Defence budget.
Sir Keir announced last Tuesday that he planned to increase Britain's defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, but critics said the boost would be diluted if it had to include the cost of the Chagos deal.
Mrs Badenoch said on Sunday: 'That is money which the Prime Minister seems to have confirmed is coming out of the defence increase that he has just announced. That's terrible.
'He did not deny it when he was asked so we will not stop our opposition to the surrender of the Chagos Islands. We will continue.'
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said that any deal on the archipelago would not happen if Mr Trump did not support it.
The deal had been signed off by Joe Biden's administration, but Mr Trump's team asked to look at it again.
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