Burnham admitted that a deal is not yet in place over the Chagos Islands
Andy Burnham has acknowledged that no resolution is currently in place regarding the Chagos Islands deal, but has assured the Mauritian prime minister that he will work towards finding one.
The UK Government’s plans to relinquish sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean territory in exchange for retaining control of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia have been paused since April following pushback from the Trump administration.
In his initial phone call with Navim Ramgoolam on Monday, the UK Prime Minister “underlined his commitment” to working alongside Mauritius and the US to secure the continued operation of the base.
Asked about the conversation by reporters as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Mr Burnham said: “So, I said that we remain determined to secure the long-term operation of the base, which is crucial to our security and that of our allies.
“The assurance I gave was I will work towards a resolution, at the moment we don’t have that, but I gave an assurance that I would commit to working towards one.”
The call with the Mauritian prime minister occurred ahead of a bilateral meeting on Tuesday between Mr Burnham and US President Donald Trump, who has previously called the Chagos deal “an act of great stupidity”.
A Downing Street spokesperson said on Monday: “The Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Navin Ramgoolam, this afternoon.
“The Prime Minister began by setting out his intention for the UK and Mauritius to work closely together.
“He noted the clear benefits the two countries could bring to each other across a range of shared objectives, including tackling climate change, combatting illicit finance, and boosting growth and trade, as they looked to create opportunities for people at home.
“Turning to the future of the military base on Diego Garcia, the Prime Minister underlined his commitment to working with Mauritius and the United States on a way forward that secures the operation of the base and protects UK national security.
“The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact, with the Prime Minister adding that he hoped the UK Foreign Secretary and Mauritian Foreign Minister Ramful would be able to meet this week at UNGA to further strengthen the relationship between the UK and Mauritius.”
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