Donald Trump is set to give his blessing to the UK’s plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius - just a day after the Tories urged him to block it.
In a major boost for Keir Starmer, the president said he was “inclined to go along with” the controversial plan.
Under the deal, Britain will reportedly pay Mauritius £9 billion over the next 99 years so that the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia will continue to operate as it does at the moment.
Former president Joe Biden backed the deal - but Trump was thought to be opposed to it on national security grounds.
Foreign secretary David Lammy had admitted that the president effectively had a veto over the deal.
But speaking as he welcomed Starmer to the White House on Thursday, Trump said: “I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”
Indicating he would be inclined to back the deal, the US President said: “I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.”
A Conservative spokesperson said: “The Chagos deal hands over British territory and leaves taxpayers on the hook for billions.
“Other nations are laughing at us and it’s no surprise: when Labour negotiates, Britain loses.”
Trump’s comments will also disappoint members of his own party who have made clear their opposition to it.
John Kennedy, a Republican senator for Louisiana, urged Starmer to “put down the bong” and ditch the deal.
He said: “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, and Marco Rubio, our new Secretary of State, is against it. And I haven’t talked to him directly, but I think President Trump is against it.
“The United Kingdom is our friend. I went to school there for a while. I love them and I want to see the prime minister do well, but he needs to put down the bong. He needs to put down the bong.
“This makes absolutely no sense, and it’s going to be a big part of his legacy if he gives away this island and our military base to, in effect, what will eventually be China.”