{"id":2571519,"date":"2026-02-19T15:44:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-k-pauses-giving-away-strategic-island-after-trump-hits-leaders-for-bowing-to-wokeism\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:46:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:46:22","slug":"u-k-pauses-giving-away-strategic-island-after-trump-hits-leaders-for-bowing-to-wokeism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-k-pauses-giving-away-strategic-island-after-trump-hits-leaders-for-bowing-to-wokeism\/","title":{"rendered":"U.K. Pauses Giving Away Strategic Island After Trump Hits Leaders for &#8216;Bowing to Wokeism&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-k-pauses-giving-away-strategic-island-after-trump-hits-leaders-for-bowing-to-wokeism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2571519&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Britain has paused plans to transfer ownership of the Chagos Islands,including Diego Garcia,to Mauritius,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/little-snowflake-freedom-convoy-organizer-bashes-trudeau-for-disappearing-during-protest\/\" title=\"\u2018Little Snowflake\u2019: Freedom Convoy Organizer Bashes Trudeau For Disappearing During Protest\">amid security concerns<\/a> and U.S. pressure. Diego Garcia hosts a U.S. military base used for long-range bombers, making the issue politically sensitive as Washington builds up forces in the Middle East in case talks with iran fail. Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-korea-logs-second-highest-daily-tally-of-covid-cases-amid-prison-church-outbreaks\/\" title=\"South Korea logs second-highest daily tally of COVID cases amid prison, church outbreaks\">government plans<\/a> to \u201cpause for thought\u201d on advancing the legislation, with British conservatives opposing the transfer, according to Politico citing an unnamed UK official.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump publicly urged Britain to retain control, arguing that a 100-year lease would be a mistake and warning that Diego Garcia is an essential asset if Iran resists a deal. The reporting highlights the base\u2019s strategic importance, noting recent deployments of B-2 and B-52 bombers and calls the base one of the most notable operational hubs outside the United States, per coverage such as the Jerusalem Post. The piece also references Trump\u2019s claims that Iran could threaten the U.K. and its allies and includes various media attachments and social-media reactions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>With the potential of war drums beating a staccato tattoo in the background, Britain is pausing its plan to shift ownership of an island containing a major U.S. military base to Mauritius.<\/p>\n<p>The Chagos Islands chain contains Diego Garcia, which the U.S. uses as a base for long-range bombers. Because of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/beryl-strengthens-into-hurricane-in-atlantic-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Beryl strengthens into hurricane in Atlantic - Washington Examiner\">island&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s importance, President Donald Trump has been urging Britain to maintain ownership of the islands.<\/p>\n<p>The transfer had been considered amid a vast American buildup of military forces in the Middle East that could be used if talks with Iran fail, leading to war between America and Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Keir Starmer&rsquo;s administration will &ldquo;pause for thought&rdquo; on moving legislation forward that would transfer ownership of the islands, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/uk-to-pause-for-thought-on-chagos-islands-deal-after-us-donald-trump-blast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>, which cited an unnamed &ldquo;senior U.K. government official briefed on the plans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Long-term plans for the legislation were unclear. British conservatives oppose the transfer.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Trump recently called on Britain to scrap its plan.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is &lsquo;claiming&rsquo; Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean,&rdquo; Trump posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116093101641103750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Trump then explained that if Iran needs to be brought to heel, Diego Garcia is an essential piece of the military puzzle.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,&rdquo; Trump wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Trump noted that Iran could possibly attack Britian as well as other U.S. allies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally. We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Trump closed with an urgent appeal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!&rdquo; he posted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cDK0fL8xNG\">https:\/\/t.co\/cDK0fL8xNG<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7ORa3DiOMk\">pic.twitter.com\/7ORa3DiOMk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nokoo &#127483;&#127462; (@NokooTV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NokooTV\/status\/2024213534192902524?\">February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Last year, as the Trump administration was building up its military strength in the Middle East for a potential confrontation with Iran, it put six B-2 bombers and four B-52 bombers on Diego Garcia, as noted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twz.com\/air\/b-52s-join-b-2s-on-diego-garcia10-bombers-now-on-indian-ocean-island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">War Zone.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/international\/article-858138\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerusalem Post<\/a> has called the island base &ldquo;one of the most important operational hubs outside the borders of the United States.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The B2 stealth bombers are in the possession of the US Air Force exclusively, and no other country possesses such capabilities: an aircraft that can fly over 10,000 km. without being detected by radar, carry dozens of tons of precision ammunition, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >strike targets deep inside enemy territory<\/a>, and return to its base &ndash; all in a single mission,&rdquo; the report said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The distance from Iran to Diego Garcia is considerable, but it is not an obstacle: the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is capable of flying sorties of over 40 hours and can be refueled in the air as needed along the way,&rdquo; the Jerusalem Post report noted.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a concise paraphrase of the main narrative (excluding the unrelated code and form text):<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Britain is delaying a bill to transfer the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia\u2014a key U.S. base for long-range bombers\u2014to Mauritius, due to shifting war-time tensions. Diego Garcia is strategically important to the U.S., and President Trump has urged the UK to keep ownership. The potential transfer had been considered in the context of a broad American military buildup in the Middle East that could be used if diplomacy with Iran fails.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s government plans to pause advancing the legislation, with long-term plans still unclear. Conservative opponents in Britain also oppose the transfer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Trump has publicly criticized the idea of ceding Diego Garcia, arguing that long leases with potentially fictitious claims are a bad idea and urging the UK not to lose control of the island. He suggested that if Iran refuses to reach a deal, the U.S. may need to use Diego Garcia (along with the Fairford airfield) to deter or counter a potential attack by Iran, which he warned could threaten the UK and other U.S. allies.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece notes that last year the U.S. deployed B-2 and B-52 bombers to Diego Garcia, and that Israel\u2019s Jerusalem Post described the base as one of the most important operational hubs outside the U.S. It describes the B-2 as a stealth, long-range bomber capable of deep strikes and aerial refueling, underscoring the base\u2019s military significance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2571520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-vs-Diego-Garcia.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32404,74133,3634,73296,74132],"class_list":["post-2571519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-geopolitics","tag-strategic-island","tag-trump","tag-uk-politics-2","tag-wokeism-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-vs-Diego-Garcia.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2571519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2571519"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2571519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2571523,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2571519\/revisions\/2571523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2571520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2571519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2571519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2571519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}