Britain to ‘recast’ Chagos Islands deal to address US concerns

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Thursday that he is working to recast the stalled UK-Mauritius deal on the Chagos Islands so it better addresses US concerns over the joint military base on Diego Garcia. “We are in discussion with our US friends to see how we might recast the arrangement that better meets their concerns,” he told The Economist, describing the base as a priority, “given its strategic significance.” Speaking while returning from Antigua, where he attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Burnham said several possible models were under consideration.

“We look at the Greenland deal, and obviously there was a solution reached there,” he said. “Now, maybe there is something there that we can take from that to see if there’s a solution that works in relation to Diego Garcia. But that is something that we’re very engaged on. We’re working hard on it, but it is challenging.” The original 2025 treaty, signed under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, would have transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia back to the UK for 99 years, with an option to extend.

Britain would have paid Mauritius £165 million ($222 million) a year for the first three years, falling to £120 million annually thereafter. The treaty remains unratified after US President Donald Trump publicly rejected the arrangement, branding it “terrible” and “ridiculous.” The legislation required to implement the pact was subsequently put on hold.