Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated a willingness to revise Labour's plan for the Chagos Islands, suggesting the government is looking to "recast the arrangement" regarding the archipelago. This potential shift comes as the UK seeks to secure the future of the vital UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
Under a previous agreement negotiated by Labour predecessor Keir Starmer, Britain was set to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, officially the British Indian Ocean Territory, to Mauritius. The plan included the UK leasing back the Diego Garcia base for 99 years. However, the deal has faced uncertainty, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly withdrew American support following a dispute with Starmer earlier this year concerning Iran.
Burnham, in an interview with The Economist, stated his government's intention to "recast the arrangement," drawing a parallel to the agreement between Denmark and the U.S. concerning Greenland. He expressed a commitment to making "further progress" by the end of the year.
During a meeting with Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, Burnham reportedly underlined the importance of a "shared plan" involving Mauritius and the U.S. to ensure the continued operation of the Diego Garcia base and safeguard national security for all three nations. A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that the leaders agreed to work toward this shared plan.
The original deal reportedly involved the UK paying an average of £101 million annually to Mauritius over the 99-year lease, totaling approximately £3.4 billion. Critics, however, have raised concerns about the potential true cost, estimated by some to be as high as £35 billion, and have voiced apprehension over handing control of the islands to Mauritius, which has been described as an ally of China.