Badenoch calls Farage’s Diego Garcia proposal ‘humiliating’ amid Falklands dispute

Kemi Badenoch criticised Nigel Farage’s proposed arrangement involving Diego Garcia and US President Donald Trump’s comments on the Falklands, MercoPress reported on 14 October 2026. Badenoch called the idea ‘humiliating’, while Farage later said he meant offering the United States use of the Indian Ocean base, not giving up British control of the Chagos Islands. The distinction matters amid a dispute over Britain’s proposed Chagos sovereignty agreement with Mauritius.

What Farage proposed for Diego Garcia

Farage raised the idea on the US podcast The Benny Show. MercoPress reported that he proposed offering Trump Diego Garcia ‘in perpetuity’ in return for his silence on the Falklands. Metro quoted Farage saying, ‘Chagos, it’s yours,’ and reported that he framed the exchange as a way to stop Trump talking about the Falklands. Farage mentioned Trump’s relationship with Argentine President Javier Milei while explaining his proposal, according to Metro.

Those accounts leave a material distinction between offering US use of a military base and offering control of the archipelago. Metro reported that Farage subsequently wrote on X that he meant US use of Diego Garcia in perpetuity, not a surrender of British control over the Chagos Islands. A Reform UK spokesperson said Farage was referring to US use of Diego Garcia rather than the islands as a whole, MercoPress reported. The spokesperson also said Farage had opposed transferring the archipelago to Mauritius.

Badenoch’s response and the Chagos agreement

Badenoch told The Telegraph that giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet was ‘humiliating’, according to MercoPress. She called Farage’s remarks ‘careless, loose talk’ from someone seeking responsibility for Britain’s national security. Badenoch said the Chagos Islands and the Falklands are British and would remain British. She also argued that Britain should speak plainly when Trump is wrong.

The exchange comes amid a dispute over the proposed transfer of Chagos sovereignty to Mauritius. MercoPress reported that the arrangement, under which the joint Diego Garcia base would be retained, was paused in April after opposition from the US administration. The outlet also reported that Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would try to complete the arrangement.

The Falklands form the other part of Farage’s proposed exchange. MercoPress, citing The Telegraph, reported that Trump said in August he was reviewing the US position on British sovereignty over the islands amid a dispute over defence spending. Foreign Office minister Uma Kumaran told the Commons she would do ‘whatever it takes’ to support Falkland Islanders, Metro reported. She also told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that islanders were confident Britain would defend them if required, according to Metro.