Ex-defence secretary accuses Nigel Farage of ‘performing Maga stunt’ with failed Chagos ‘aid mission’

Nigel Farage has been accused of “performing Maga stunts” by a former defence secretary, after his plan to deliver aid to the Chagos Islands was blocked.

The Reform UK leader had flown to the Maldives to join a delegation carrying food and medicine to support four Chagossians who were attempting to set up a permanent base on a deserted island, as part of a mission to establish a colony in their former homeland.

Mr Farage had boarded a boat carrying food and medicines preparing to make the 24-hour trip to Ile du Coin, which sits 300 miles from the Maldives.

But sources told The Telegraph the plans failed because UK authorities insisted that only trained crew should be on board.

The newspaper reported that Mr Farage, who had been due to return to the UK on Saturday night, had received a phone call from a senior source in the Maldives government warning him that British officials wanted him to be prevented from setting foot on the island.

Former defence secretary Ben Wallace hit out, saying that no MP can visit the archipelago without pre-clearance and accusing him of performing Trump-style stunts.

Posting to social media platform X, he added: “It is a serious Military base which does serious work. It doesn’t need a pub bore like Nigel (who didn’t even appoint a defence spokesperson this week) performing MAGA stunts.”

Sir Ben – who served as defence secretary under the previous Conservative government from July 2019 to August 2023 – was referring to Mr Farage’s unveiling of his top team this week, which included spokespeople for education, home affairs, the economy and business.

No spokesperson for defence has yet been appointed by the party.

In the wake of the incident, the Reform leader said: “The British government has made every effort to prevent me heading towards the Chagos Islands. They have asked the Maldives government to stop me from leaving here and setting foot on the boat.

“This was information conveyed to me by a senior figure in the Maldives government. I cannot believe such an attempt has been made to stop a British citizen from reaching British territory.

“My source told me the British were ‘very concerned’ about me and wanted to know why I was here. This trip is a humanitarian mission and I don’t want my presence to jeopardise that.”

The four Chagossians travelled to the island on Tuesday to protest the government’s deal to hand sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.

The agreement has faced intense criticism both domestically and abroad, with Donald Trump throwing the deal into doubt this week after he launched a fresh attack on the plans.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump urged Sir Keir Starmer not to “give away Diego Garcia” – an island on the archipelago which is home to a joint UK-US military base – despite Washington signalling its official backing for the deal on Tuesday.

Thousands of people were forcibly removed from the archipelago in the 1960s and 70s to build the air base.