The White House is considering alternative options for the future of the Chagos Islands, including a proposal under which the United States could seek to purchase the territory from Mauritius, according to a report by The Telegraph. The newspaper reported that US officials have drawn up a paper outlining several alternatives to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while maintaining access to the strategically important Diego Garcia military base.
Citing sources familiar with the discussions, The Telegraph said the proposal would involve Washington pursuing its own arrangement concerning Diego Garcia, a joint UK-US military facility in the Indian Ocean.
A US official with knowledge of the discussions told the newspaper that the White House had been in regular contact with Downing Street regarding the future of the base. “We remain in regular discussions with our British allies as we work together to preserve the viability of Diego Garcia as a regional security platform,” the official said.
According to the report, purchasing the islands is not currently the preferred option within the Trump administration, but the idea has been raised with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is said to have brought the matter to President Donald Trump’s attention.
The debate comes amid renewed focus on military infrastructure following conflict involving Iran and growing concerns in Washington about China’s expanding naval capabilities.
Diego Garcia is regarded as a strategically significant base because of its location in the Indian Ocean. The Telegraph reported that some senior US officials are concerned that transferring sovereignty to Mauritius could create security risks, including the possibility of maritime espionage.
The newspaper cited Ben Judah, a former special adviser to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who highlighted the base’s significance.
“This airbase…has super secret, super sensitive facilities there which are so important to what Britain is able to do in the world,” he told The Telegraph earlier this year. “The moment you understand what it is, you come into the British deep state’s logic, which is that we must retain access to this thing at all costs. We would never be able to replicate if we had to do it all by ourselves.”
No price has been discussed for any potential purchase of the islands, according to the report.
Under the UK’s proposed agreement, Britain would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia for military use. The Telegraph reported that the arrangement would involve payments of around £35bn over a 99-year period.
The report said that any future US effort to acquire the islands would first require the transfer of sovereignty to Mauritius before separate negotiations could take place.
The newspaper also reported that President Trump had initially supported Starmer’s proposal but later opposed it. It cited previous public remarks in which Trump described the agreement as an act of weakness and “great stupidity”, arguing that Starmer was “losing control of this important island”.
In an interview with The Telegraph on 2 March, Trump said he was “very disappointed” with the prime minister over restrictions on the use of Diego Garcia during military operations against Iran.
The report said Trump has since repeatedly criticised Starmer, claiming he was “no Winston Churchill” and accusing him of contributing to a decline in UK-US relations.
Britain also relies on US cooperation to amend exchanges of letters agreed during the 1960s and 1970s that underpin the legal framework governing the joint military base.
Mauritius has long challenged Britain’s sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in international courts. According to the report, UK ministers had expected the International Court of Justice to issue a ruling requiring the transfer of sovereignty.
In May, UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer rejected suggestions that Washington could purchase the territory. “There is no scenario” in which the United States could buy the islands, he said, adding that the government remained “committed to the deal that we have struck”.