US officially backs UK Chagos Islands deal despite Trump branding it an 'act of great stupidity'

In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the US State Department said it "supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago".

This comes just weeks after Donald Trump branded the plan an "act of great stupidity" in an attack on Sir Keir Starmer.

This apparent U-turn comes ahead of talks between the White House and Mauritius next week.

Read more: Trump labels Starmer's Chagos Islands deal as 'best he could make' days after branding it 'stupid'

As part of the deal, the UK would lease back the archipelago’s largest military base, Diego Garcia, for the next 99 years.

Speaking last month, President Trump called the deal the "best he could make."

He said: "I have had very productive discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Island of Diego Garcia.

"It is the site of a major U.S. Military Base, strategically situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of great importance to the National Security of the United States."

President Trump’s initial criticism of the deal was seemingly a result of rising tensions between the US and Europe over the White House’s plan to take control of Greenland.

But with that placed on the back burner, the US has been more supportive of the plan in recent weeks.

The Chagos Islands, located around 5,799 miles from the UK, have been under British control since 1814 following a deal worth £3m.

The islands were established as an overseas territory in 1965, but Mauritius has long insisted British control was more akin to an illegal occupation.