Watch Kennedy’s comments here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) warned the United Kingdom that it could damage its relationship with the United States if it threatens the future of the joint U.S.-U.K. military base on the island of Diego Garcia by ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Key excerpts of the speech are below:

“Do you know who is loving all of this? China, because China has a close relationship with Mauritius. And do you know what? It is going to get a lot closer.

“This is insane. This is cell-deep stupid. This is bone-deep, down-to-the-marrow stupid. Because the United Nations wants the United Kingdom to feel guilty, they want to give our military base and their military base to Mauritius. Now, the prime minister of the United Kingdom can stop this.”

. . .

“Please, Mr. Prime Minister, don’t do this. Don’t do this. We will stand with you in telling the United Nations, who is upset with you, to go fill out a hurt feelings report because we are not doing it. We will stand with you. Please say no. Don’t give our military base away. It is going to really hurt the relationship between the United States of America and the United Kingdom.”

Background

• The U.K. had previously announced on Oct. 3, 2024, that it had reached a deal with Mauritius to cede the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. This deal between the U.K. and Mauritius would jeopardize the security of a key U.S.-U.K. military base on Deigo Garcia by potentially exposing the island to Chinese espionage efforts, according to a report from the Policy Exchange.

• Negotiations between the U.K. and Mauritius followed a years-long pressure campaign from the United Nations to get England out of the Chagos Islands. The Biden administration also reportedly pressured the U.K. to enter the deal with Mauritius before the American and Mauritian elections took place—an idea Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially endorsed. 

• On Oct. 23, 2024, Kennedy wrote to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking answers about the Biden administration’s involvement in the deal between the U.K. and Mauritius.

• Kennedy also penned this op-ed in Oct. 2024 arguing that the Biden administration owes the American people an explanation for its decision to allow this deal between the U.K. and Mauritius to move forward.

• On Jan. 15, 2025, Starmer announced that he wanted President Trump and his administration to weigh in on any deal struck between the U.K. and Mauritius regarding the transfer of the Chagos Islands, including the transfer of the U.S.-U.K. shared military base on the island of Diego Garcia. 

• Kennedy published this op-ed in Jan. 2025 welcoming the U.K.’s change of heart after Starmer announced that he would include the Trump administration in the ongoing negotiations with Mauritius.

• Former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President Trump’s nominee for National Security Advisor, has criticized the deal, saying, “Should the U.K. cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum.”

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly condemned the deal and said it “poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical U.S. military posture in the region.”

Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.