Kemi Badenoch attacked by White House over Nigel Farage Chagos row

A bitter political storm has erupted across Westminster following a transatlantic clash involving Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and the White House.

The controversy began when Mr Farage appeared on a US-based broadcast, The Benny Show podcast, discussing how he would handle foreign policy if he were prime minister. In comments reported by The Independent and HuffPost UK, Mr Farage explained that he would approach the American president regarding the strategic military facilities in the Indian Ocean.

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Kemi Badenoch Slammed By White House Amid Farage Chagos Islands Row

According to the broadcasted remarks, Mr Farage stated he would tell the US president that the Chagos Islands could be his, specifically highlighting the Diego Garcia military base, in exchange for ending public doubts regarding British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The Falklands have faced renewed diplomatic and legal challenges from Argentinian president Javier Milei, while US President Donald Trump has declined to offer unconditional support for British sovereignty in the South Atlantic.

Mrs Badenoch reacted with fury to the podcast appearance.

"It is mad for someone who wants to be prime minister to say we should give away one piece of British territory just to stop an American president talking about another."

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative Party leader, via HuffPost UK

Mrs Badenoch further asserted that the Chagos Islands and the Falklands are British and must remain so regardless of American presidential commentary, branding Mr Farage's proposal as careless and loose talk unbefitting someone seeking responsibility for national security.

The situation escalated significantly when the White House issued an extraordinary public intervention. US government sources told reporters, including The Times, that officials did not interpret Mr Farage’s remarks as an offer of outright territorial surrender, but rather as an offer concerning the continued operational use of the strategic military base.

"Anyone claiming otherwise is peddling fake news and undermining the Anglo-American relationship, including, apparently, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch."

White House official, via The Independent

The White House official emphasized that the base is critical for countering geopolitical threats from China and Iran. A spokesperson for Mr Farage echoed this interpretation, insisting that the Reform UK leader was referring solely to American use of the facility in perpetuity rather than relinquishing sovereignty of the entire archipelago.

Despite the American clarification, allies of Mrs Badenoch stood their ground. A Conservative spokesperson dismissed the unnamed US sources and labeled Mr Farage's original phrasing as indefensible, arguing that the words stood in black and white. Meanwhile, a Reform UK representative hit back, accusing the Conservative party of manufacturing lies that risk damaging vital international alliances.

Adding another layer to the dispute, Misley Mandarin, self-declared first minister of the Chagossian government in exile, criticized Mrs Badenoch. Speaking to The Independent, Mr Mandarin stated that Mrs Badenoch could not be trusted by the local population, while praising Mr Farage for supporting indigenous rights and repopulation efforts alongside continued US access to the military base.

The diplomatic friction occurs against a backdrop of wider geopolitical maneuvering. The UK government previously finalized a treaty transferring sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius, though multimillion-pound payments have been paused while officials re-evaluate the agreement following criticism from President Trump. Simultaneously, Foreign Office minister Uma Kumaran addressed the House of Commons, vowing to fight legal challenges launched by Argentina's president against British-led exploration at the Sea Lion oilfield.