Mandelson’s Sacking Reopens Chagos Deal in Washington DC – Guido Fawkes

Disgraced Mandelson was a key actor in convincing the US administration to initially cooperate on Starmer’s Chagos surrender deal, Guido can reveal. Sources in DC highlight his “intense personal lobbying” of members of the Trump administration to get the deal on their desks, so that Starmer would not be embarrassed by  rejection in the Oval Office (many US officials were unaware of the UK Government proposal until Mandelson arrived in post). “He spent night and day on it because Starmer was pleading him for help when it looked like the Yanks would reject it”, says one official. Lammy and Mandelson worked extensively together to lubricate US officials, despite vocal opposition to the deal in Congress…

Mandelson’s work on Chagos was seen in the UK government as a test case for his talents in DC and his proximity to Trump. He privately boasted that his interventions had helped secure US backing for the deal…

With Mandelson gone, and now in disgrace in DC, the Chagos file could be reopened by the US administration, with a new (less Starmer adjacent) British ambassador. As Guido pointed out at the time, co-conspirators who listened carefully to Trump’s comments on the deal know that they were not conclusive. Could Chagos yet be met with US disapproval?