UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the controversial agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, putting the future of the strategically important Diego Garcia military base back into focus ahead of his first meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said after a telephone call with Burnham that the British leader had reiterated his commitment to doing “everything possible, together with the USA, towards the ratification of the Chagos treaty”.
The UK government’s account of the conversation was more cautious, saying Burnham was committed to working with Mauritius and the US on “a way forward” that would secure the operation of Diego Garcia and protect British national security.
The UK and Mauritius signed the treaty in May 2025, under which sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago would pass to Mauritius while Britain would retain arrangements allowing the continued operation of the Diego Garcia base for almost a century.
Implementation has stalled amid opposition from Washington. Trump has previously described the agreement as a “big mistake”, while the British legislation required to put the treaty into effect has yet to complete its passage through parliament.
The issue carries particular significance because Diego Garcia is a major US-UK military facility in the Indian Ocean, with its location making it strategically important to operations across the Middle East and wider Indo-Pacific.
Burnham, who is attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, is due to meet Trump as he seeks to manage differences with Washington over security and foreign policy.
The British and Mauritian leaders agreed that their foreign ministers should also meet during the UN gathering to discuss the relationship and the treaty’s future.
Burnham has stressed that the objective is to preserve the long-term operation of Diego Garcia while finding a settlement acceptable to Britain, Mauritius and the US.
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