Image: United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber lands at RAF Fairford (Ben Birchall (PA Archive)

Donald Trump has withdrawn his backing for Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal because he has not received UK approval to use its military bases for a US strike on Iran, it has been reported.

The US president attacked the agreement to hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius and lease back the Diego Garcia joint UK-US military base as “a big mistake”.

His latest U-turn on his previous support for the deal is because of the UK Government’s refusal to give the White House the green light to use the Diego Garcia base or RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire for a potential military campaign against Iran, according to the Times.

The newspaper said the Government’s position was due to concerns over a breach of international law, which does not distinguish between a nation carrying out an attack and one that provides support with “knowledge of the circumstances of the internationally wrongful act”.

The bases can only be used for military operations with prior consent from the Government and would need to comply with UK law and the country’s interpretation of relevant international law.

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