British premier seeks to ‘recast’ UK-Mauritius deal over Chagos Islands

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he wants to “recast the arrangement” between the UK and Mauritius over the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, raising questions about the future of a deal safeguarding the strategic Diego Garcia military base. In an interview with The Economist, Burnham suggested the US-Denmark agreement over Greenland could offer a possible model for Diego Garcia, according to journalist Hugo Gye, who conducted the interview.

However, the nature of Burnham’s proposed changes remains unclear. The agreement reached by then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government provides for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while guaranteeing the UK and the US access to the Diego Garcia military base for at least 99 years. Starmer’s government argued the arrangement was necessary to secure the future operation of the strategically important base, amid concerns that international courts could rule Britain’s sovereignty claim unlawful.

US President Donald Trump initially backed the agreement but later withdrew his support after Britain refused to back his war against Iran. Opposition from British right-wing politicians, including Nigel Farage, has also put pressure on the deal. Meanwhile, Burnham met Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit. A Downing Street readout said Burnham had “underlined his commitment to working with Mauritius and the United States on a way forward that secured the operation of the Diego Garcia base and protected national security for all three countries.”

The two sides agreed to work on a shared plan to make further progress by the end of the year. G20 On other foreign policy issues, Burnham said he would not invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Manchester next year, while expressing hope that Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend. Burnham pointed to Xi’s visit to Manchester in 2015, saying “he will see a big difference” in the city, which has developed partly through Chinese investment.

He also described future economic cooperation with Beijing as a potential model for bilateral relations, saying: “We proceed carefully, but I’m sure there is a real opportunity there.”