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Donald Trump detonated a series of bombshells on his Truth Social overnight.
There was the leaking of private messages from France’s President Emmanuel Macron, the posting of images of Canada and Greenland as part of the US, and then going all out on Sir Keir Starmer and the UK by calling the Chagos deal an “act of great stupidity” – opening him up to attacks from opposition MPs long-opposed to the deal.
I’ve been speaking around government to get a sense of what the hell is going on after the prime minister sought to reiterate the UK’s position on Greenland on Monday while also trying to de-escalate, stressing the strong relationship, dodging the matter of retaliatory tariffs (although not ruling it out) and avoiding any incendiary language adopted by other leaders clearly fed up with Trump.
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What’s clear is a sense that Trump is trying to pressure the UK by going hostile on Chagos – he clearly links the deal to Greenland in the post.
But what is also clear is that the UK government is not going to change its position on Greenland, nor is it going to wobble on Chagos, and will press on with the agreement with Mauritius.
Read more: What is in the Chagos Islands deal and why is it controversial?
The Diego Garcia base on the Chagos Islands is a key site for the UK and US. Pic: US Navy/AP
A map showing the locations of the Chagos Islands, Mauritius and Diego Garcia
The lashing out against the UK and Starmer seems to be part of a bigger assault on allies – as Trump reveals private messages with Macron and shares a map of Canada as US territory, which will no doubt explode in Canada.
This is what Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden…
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