From The Independent · · 2m
Badenoch and Farage clash over Chagos and Falklands
The Conservative leader attacks the Reform UK leader for suggesting he would trade British territory to secure Donald Trump's support for the Falklands.
In brief
The Conservative leader attacks the Reform UK leader for suggesting he would trade British territory to secure Donald Trump's support for the Falklands. Kemi Badenoch accused Nigel Farage of proposing to give away the Chagos Islands to the US in exchange for Donald Trump's silence on the Falklands, calling it…
Farage's controversial proposal
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told a US podcast he would offer the Chagos Islands to Donald Trump in exchange for Trump stopping his criticism of British Falklands sovereignty.
What Farage said on air
Farage told The Benny Show podcast he would say to Trump: Chagos is yours, Diego Garcia in perpetuity, the most strategic American military base in the world.
“Chagos, it's yours. Diego Garcia, in perpetuity, the most strategic American military base in the world”
The trade Farage proposed
Farage said he would guarantee Diego Garcia to Trump in return for Trump to stop talking about the Falkland Islands, calling it a trade.
“I'm guaranteeing you that. In return, just please stop talking about the Falkland Islands”
Trump's stance on the Falklands
US President Donald Trump has declined to give full support for British sovereignty of the Falklands, which continues to face threats from Argentinian president Javier Milei.
Badenoch's fierce response
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Farage of giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet and branded his remarks humiliating.
“Giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet is not a deal. It is humiliating.”
Badenoch on British sovereignty
Badenoch said the Chagos Islands and Falklands are British and will remain British irrespective of what the American president says, and criticized Farage's careless talk.
“The Chagos Islands are British. And the Falklands are British, and will remain British, irrespective of what the American president says.”
Farage's clarification
Farage insisted he did not mean he would give up British control of the Chagos Islands to America, but would offer the use of Diego Garcia to the USA in perpetuity.
White House weighs in
US government sources told news outlets they did not interpret Farage's remarks as an offer to give up sovereignty of Chagos to America, saying he was referring to use of the military base.
“He was obviously referring to the use of the Diego Garcia military base, which is critical to countering threats from China and Iran.”
The Chagos Islands backstory
Last May the UK government finalized a treaty transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, but multimillion-pound payments have been paused after Trump branded the pact terrible.
What it means
Kemi Badenoch accused Nigel Farage of proposing to give away the Chagos Islands to the US in exchange for Donald Trump's silence on the Falklands, calling it humiliating.
