UK says Chagos deal taken to protect national security

LONDON, Jan 20 - Britain said on Tuesday it would never compromise on national security as it defended its deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after U.S. President Donald Trump described the agreement as an " act of total weakness ."

"The UK will never compromise on our national security. We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future," a government spokesperson said in a statement.

"This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out."