The self-appointed First Minister of the Chagos Islands has issued a direct warning to US President Donald Trump amid plans to "buy" the British territory.
Speaking to GB News, Misley Mandarin told Mr Trump that the Chagos Islands are "not for sale", and that the Chagossian community "wants to stay British".
According to The Telegraph, the White House has drawn up a number of options to buy the territory after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius, allied with China and Iran.
The surrender could prove problematic for the strategically important Diego Garcia military base, which is jointly operated by the US and the UK.
Delivering his verdict on the plans by the Trump administration, Mr Mandarin told GB News: "The news about Chagos being up for sale, Chagos is not for sale, and it's not for stealing either.
"So we are firmly on British soil as British citizens, and we want to stay British."
Mr Mandarin argued that he "can't blame" Mr Trump for "looking to secure the military base".
He added: "I can't blame President Trump for what he's doing for his people. He's looking how to secure key military base for him and for America.
Misley Mandarin has delivered a direct message to Donald Trump amid plans to 'buy' the Chagos Islands
|REUTERS / GB NEWS
"But the irony to it is our Prime Minister is selling our British territory to an ally of China in this turmoil of a geopolitical storm. The Prime Minister got it wrong."
Having resettled on the Chagos Islands, Mr Mandarin shared an update on how the group of six people is doing after reclaiming the territory.
He said: "We are well, we keep ourselves busy, we eat well, we catch in the water, so we live a daily island life now."
Asked by host Christopher Hope about the "political divide" the Chagos Islands has caused, Mr Mandarin said it is "not about the left or the right", it is "about what is right" for the Chagossian people.
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American officials have prepared a plan that would see Washington negotiate its own arrangement to secure control of Diego Garcia | REUTERSMr Mandarin said: "For me personally, it's not about left wing or right wing. For me, it's what is right, the self-determination.
"But at the moment, it seems like the right-wing politicians like Reform, the Tories and even the Trump Republican Party as well are more leading for people, self-determination, what people want.
"So basically, those parties are working for the ordinary people like myself."
Asked what his direct message would be to Donald Trump, Mr Mandarin suggested that a "deal could be done" if he undertook a specific task.
Mr Mandarin told GB News that the Chagossians 'want to stay British'
|GB NEWS
Mr Mandarin concluded: "My message to President Trump is to pressure the British Government to settle British Chagossians. Resettle us on British soil, and then he will get a better deal with us."
In a statement, a Government spokesman said: "The Government inherited a situation where UK control over the military base on Diego Garcia was under threat and action was required to protect UK national interests and to prevent our adversaries from getting a foothold in a location of such strategic importance.
"Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US, which has protected our shared security for nearly 60 years.
"Maintaining long-term operational control and security of Diego Garcia is the entire basis for the UK-Mauritius Agreement, an agreement borne out of the real long-term risks to the base of which both the UK and US are very well aware."