Farage ‘surprised’ by Badenoch criticism of Chagos Island comments

Nigel Farage has accused Kemi Badenoch of putting her foot in it after she criticised his comments regarding Diego Garcia.

Speaking on GB News, he said: “Kemi Badenoch said to the Prime Minister that he’d put his foot in his mouth. Well, I wonder whether she might have done the same thing.

“I was absolutely knocked out last night at ten o clock when I saw what the front page of today’s Daily Telegraph was going to be.

“I really couldn’t quite believe it. Yes, an all-out assault where Kemi Badenoch accuses me of acting in a humiliating way over Britain on behalf of Britain, because apparently I want to give away the Chagos Islands. Well, I really was somewhat surprised by all of this.

“It all came about as a result of an hour-long podcast I did with an American commentator called Benny Johnson the other day, we were talking about Diego Garcia and how upset the American president was.

“I’d have gone in and said, “Right, you know what, mate? Chagos, it’s yours, Diego Garcia, in perpetuity, the most strategic American political or military base in the world, which it is. Outside mainline America, Diego is the most important thing America has; for nuclear subs, for long-range bombers, for all of it. And I said, right, I’m guaranteeing you that. I’m giving up on this surrender. In return, just please stop talking about the Falkland Islands. I know you like Milei, but this really matters to us.’

“I thought it’s pretty clear. I said I don’t agree with this surrender. I don’t agree in transferring sovereignty to Mauritius. And yeah, you can use Diego Garcia forever, and in return, please stop saying things that are unhelpful about the Falklands.

“I thought it was pretty clear, but it was obviously picked up by some young, really keen person working for Kemi Badenoch; they wanted to have a row over it.

“Well, the extraordinary thing is that the Americans don’t seem best chuffed by it. We got a quote this morning from a Trump official.

‘A senior administration official tells The Times at no point did anyone in the administration construe Nigel’s comments as suggesting he was giving away the Chagos Islands. He was obviously referring to the use of the Diego Garcia military base. Anyone claiming otherwise is peddling fake news and undermining the Anglo-American relationship, including apparently Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.’

“Well, it has been one hell of a fight. And Misley Mandarin, who, of course, I helped resettle Ile de Coin, who’s now been there for seven months, Misley said., “Kemi and the Conservatives cannot be trusted by the Chagos people. We know Nigel has the Chagossians at heart. We agree with him. We would be happy for the U.S. to keep using Diego with the British Chagossian population in perpetuity, and the rest of Chagos being under the crown, and we, the indigenous people, having our rights respected forever.”

“Well, I have to say, I was really quite surprised by the strength of feeling from the American administration.”