Burnham seeks progress on Chagos Islands deal by year end

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 14:05 · Archive

Andy Burnham wants to make progress on the stalled Chagos Islands agreement with the US and Mauritius by the end of the year. The deal, struck under his predecessor, would hand the archipelago to Mauritius while securing a continued joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease. Under the agreement, Britain would pay Mauritius £165 million a year for the first three years, dropping to £120 million annually from year four.

US President Donald Trump criticised the arrangement as a 'terrible deal' and withdrew American support earlier this year, leaving the agreement in limbo. The progress of legislation that would give effect to the treaty was paused in April, with the UK Government saying it could not go ahead without American support.

Burnham met with his Mauritian counterpart on the fringes of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, with Downing Street suggesting the parties wanted a clearer idea about the deal before the end of the year. Burnham suggested the arrangement could be recast, citing the US-Denmark agreement over Greenland as a possible model. The Daily Mail reports that the Prime Minister is working on a 'shared plan' with the US and Mauritius.

How it is being reported

• Burnham wants to ‘recast’ Chagos Islands deal after US resistanceUK PM says he wants ‘a new discussion’ with Washington over the disputed islands UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has said he wants to “recast” the UK’s deal to cede control of the Chagos Islands after resistance from Washington, which said the agreement could instead be modelled on America’s Greenland deal with Denmark . The prime minister told the Economist he wanted “a new discussion” with the US over the disputed islands, which are home to the Diego Garcia military base. Continue reading...The Guardian · 5 Nov, 16:17
• Will Burnham back down on Labour's Chagos surrender? PM looking to 'recast' deal to hand over islands - as he vows to 'make progress' this yearThe Prime Minister is working on a 'shared plan' with the US and Mauritius over the vital archipelago and is intending to make 'further progress' by the end of this year.Daily Mail · 5 Nov, 13:44
• Andy Burnham wants progress on Chagos Islands stalemate ‘by the end of the year’A deal to cede control of the archipelago to Mauritius while securing a joint US-UK military base has been left in limbo.Evening Standard · 5 Nov, 13:15

In this story: Andy Burnham · Donald Trump · Mauritius · Chagos Islands · Diego Garcia · United States · United Kingdom · Navin Ramgoolam

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log