According to reports, Donald Trump is considering buying the Chagos Islands from Mauritius. In April, following US opposition, Keir Starmer abandoned a plan to transfer sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius and then lease use of the Diego Garcia military base for 99 years. But Diego Garcia, specifically, is of interest to US military aims. If Trump’s interest is real rather than a flippant boast, Starmer should take this opportunity. While the island has been a source of controversy during the Iran war, its real importance rests on the next potential conflict.

Part of the Chagos Islands chain, Diego Garcia has long been prized by America for its ability to host long-range bombers and logistics stores. As the US military prepares for a potential war with China in defence of Taiwan, its unrestrained access to Diego Garcia has never been more important. Unlike US bases on Guam and Okinawa, Diego Garcia is outside the range of most Chinese ballistic missiles. That makes it a bastion stronghold from which the US could operate its strike forces and wage war with reduced threat of Chinese attack.

However, the news comes as the Special Relationship between Washington and London is under pressure. Trump’s diminishing of British military sacrifices in Afghanistan and Iraq caused great offence in the UK, while his threats to Greenland are also seen in Britain as a betrayal of America’s allies.

But blame for the upset goes both ways. Starmer has failed to increase defence spending to match the investments made by Germany and Poland. This speaks poorly of his commitment to Trump’s central strategic theme that allies must share the burden of Western military spending fairly. The British Prime Minister has also deeply frustrated the Trump administration and the Pentagon by refusing to grant base access to US aircraft involved in the Iran war. These restrictions have included Diego Garcia and, even where lifted, have restricted US forces to strikes on Iranian missile units.

It would be in both the American and British interests for Starmer to facilitate this pursuit. The UK could do a great favour to the Special Relationship by allowing the US to take sovereign control of Diego Garcia. Considering the strategic importance of the islands to the US, it is likely that the British Government could persuade the Trump administration to pay compensation for the Chagossians who were removed from their homes in the early Seventies.

The UK would also benefit significantly from this prospective deal. By transferring Diego Garcia to Mauritius on an understanding that the US will then be able to buy the islands, the UK could wash its hands of having to choose between approving or rejecting future American requests to use the island for military action. Britain would also save money. Some estimates suggest that Starmer’s now-aborted deal to lease access to Diego Garcia would have cost an astonishing £35 billion over its proposed 99-year term. In contrast, Trump’s deal offers Starmer a chance to restore American confidence, consolidate the frayed military-to-military relationship, and save money for the indebted Treasury.

If nothing else, when it comes to the possibility of war with China, not having to worry about what role Diego Garcia might play would surely be a welcome respite for this or any future British government.

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Tom Rogan is a national security writer at the Washington Examiner

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