# Will Burnham back down on Labour’s Chagos surrender? PM looking to ‘recast’ deal to hand over islands – as he vows to ‘make progress’ this year

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/will-burnham-back-down-on-labours-chagos-surrender-pm-looking-to-recast-deal-to-hand-over-islands-as-he-vows-to-make-progress-this-year/
- Published: 2026-11-05T16:42:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16268389/Will-Burnham-Labours-Chagos-surrender-PM-looking-recast-deal-hand-islands-vows-make-progress-year.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Americas, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Burnham says the Chagos deal may be recast.
- The agreement would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius.
- The Diego Garcia lease cost is disputed.

## Summary

Andy Burnham has signalled that his government may revise the Chagos Islands agreement, saying it wants to “recast the arrangement”. The deal would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while Britain leases back the Diego Garcia military base, but it is in limbo after the United States withdrew its support.

Burnham cited a US-Denmark agreement on Greenland as a possible precedent and met Mauritius’s prime minister during a Commonwealth summit. Downing Street said the three countries would work on a shared plan to protect the base and national security, aiming for further progress by year end. The proposed 99-year lease is estimated by the government to cost an average of £101 million annually, or about £3.4 billion in total; critics put the cost at £35 billion.

## Coverage

- [Daily Mail: Will Burnham back down on Labour’s Chagos surrender? PM looking to ‘recast’ deal to hand over islands – as he vows to ‘make progress’ this year](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16268389/Will-Burnham-Labours-Chagos-surrender-PM-looking-recast-deal-hand-islands-vows-make-progress-year.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)
- [The Guardian: Burnham wants to ‘recast’ Chagos Islands deal after US resistance](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/nov/05/andy-burnham-recast-chagos-islands-deal-us-resistance)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.