"This moment, like no other before it, poses a massive strategic question for Sir Keir: What on earth to do now? He has courted Donald Trump and built his foreign policy around being seen to be a dependable, trustworthy ally of the president, who wouldn't sound off about him in public. In an extraordinarily difficult start for his government at home, Sir Keir's relationship with the US president was widely seen as an unlikely success story."
"The government is defending its deal to hand over the islands to Mauritius, announced last year, following President Trump's splenetic outrage about it on social media. Senior sources are making it clear there were very good reasons for the deal, and point out that it was publicly welcomed by the United States and Australia - two countries, alongside the UK, that are part of the 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance."
The prime minister sought calm discussion with the United States but faces a highly unpredictable US president whose public outbursts now target the UK and Sir Keir Starmer. Sir Keir cultivated closeness with Donald Trump and shaped foreign policy to appear a dependable ally, winning warm public praise and a perceived stronger White House relationship than many European partners. The government touted a deal over US tariffs as evidence of that relationship's benefits. The government is defending a handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on grounds that legal challenges threatened the viability of the Diego Garcia military base, and that the deal secures the base's long-term future.
Read at www.bbc.com
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