The key facts

  • The 2025 deal to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius remains unratified
  • Burnham said London is seeking a format that 'better addresses' US concerns about the Diego Garcia base
  • The Greenland settlement is mentioned among the models being considered

London seeks a new formula for Diego Garcia

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he is working to revise the stalled Chagos Islands deal so that it better addresses US concerns about the joint military base on Diego Garcia. Anadolu reported this.

What is being considered and what the original treaty contained

Burnham spoke while returning from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua. According to him, several possible models are being considered:

The fate of the 2025 treaty

The original treaty, signed in 2025 under former prime minister Keir Starmer, provided for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while the UK retained the lease on Diego Garcia for 99 years with the option of extension. London was to pay Mauritius £165 million ($222 million) per year for the first three years, then £120 million annually.

Why the deal is blocked

The treaty remains unratified after US President Donald Trump publicly rejected the arrangement, calling it