Andy Burnham seeks to recast the Chagos agreement after US objections
Andy Burnham wants progress by year-end on an arrangement securing the UK-US base on Diego Garcia. Britain and Mauritius have agreed to work on a shared plan after US opposition stalled legislation implementing their earlier sovereignty deal. Burnham says talks with Washington concern changing the arrangement to address American concerns; no replacement settlement has been announced.
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Washington’s concerns reopen the arrangement
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to rework the Chagos Islands agreement in discussions with the United States. Speaking in an interview with The Economist, he said the talks concern reshaping the arrangement to address Washington’s concerns. The negotiations centre on securing the joint British-American military base on Diego Garcia.[1], [2]
Burnham met Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, in the Caribbean. Downing Street’s 5 November account says the two leaders agreed to work on a shared plan. Britain wants progress by the end of the year, with the stated aim of protecting the base’s operation and the security interests of Britain, Mauritius and the United States.[1]
The earlier deal paired sovereignty with a long lease
The agreement signed by Britain and Mauritius in May 2025 envisaged transferring sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius while retaining use of Diego Garcia for 99 years. Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos archipelago. The arrangement sought to preserve military access to the base as sovereignty changed hands under the negotiated framework.[1]
That agreement provided annual payments of 165 million pounds for the first 3 years, dropping to 120 million pounds from year 4. Those sums belong to the previous terms. The current discussions have not yielded an announced replacement payment schedule or a new date for the transfer of sovereignty.[1]
Trump’s opposition stalled implementing legislation
Legislation implementing the deal was paused in April after opposition from US President Donald Trump. The British government acknowledged that proceeding required Washington’s support. Trump repeated his objection at his first face-to-face meeting with Burnham in September. Burnham describes the continuing discussions as challenging and suggests that aspects of the US-Danish solution concerning Greenland might offer ideas. He has presented no agreed Greenland-style model for Chagos, while stressing that securing the strategically important base is his priority.[1]
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said Britain suspended payments to Mauritius while London and Washington sought a compromise. He said the arrangement needed the support of the United States as well as the agreement of the British and Mauritian governments, placing that three-government approval at the centre of efforts to move it forward.[2]
