Andy Burnham reviews Chagos Islands deal after Trump’s criticism
Andy Burnham is set to review the Chagos Islands deal after it was branded “terrible” and “ridiculous” by Donald Trump, reports BritPanorama.
The US president made the remarks after his first face-to-face talks with Mr Burnham, which took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. In a largely warm shared press conference, the president praised Mr Burnham as a “natural business person,” while the former mayor of Greater Manchester stated he had “established a good connection” with Mr Trump.
The prime minister confirmed that they had “taken that further today” as they discussed trade, energy, and immigration among other topics during their 40-minute meeting. Mr Trump told reporters, “I think right now, based on my relationship with your prime minister, Andy, I think we’re doing very well.”
Despite their warm words towards one another, Mr Trump was critical of the UK’s handling of the Chagos Islands, leaving the deal in doubt. The president described it as a “very important piece of real estate, militarily and strategically” for both the UK and America.
A joint US-UK military base is located on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, which Britain would lease from Mauritius under the £3.4 billion deal. Mr Trump branded the agreement to hand sovereignty of the Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius as a “terrible deal,” adding that the prime minister was “going to be looking at it.”
Mr Burnham paused before responding with an affirmative “yep.” Later, he did not deny that the Chagos deal could be dead. Asked by the BBC, he dodged the question, stating it was an agreement he had inherited and added, “and we need a resolution.”
He emphasized, “It’s critical to safeguard the future of the base, and that matters to us for security reasons, but also clearly to the United States as well. So what I said in the meeting is that we will work to find that resolution between the different sides, and we’ll work hard to find it. It was clear that we need to come to that agreement, but I’m confident we can find it working with our US partners.”
Additionally, he raised the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands with the US president, following Trump’s earlier suggestion that the US would not support the UK in the event of another Argentine invasion. “I felt I owed it to the people, obviously in the Falklands and back at home, to make the position very clear and that’s what I’ve done today,” he remarked. Mr Burnham also mentioned a specific issue regarding how Trump’s tariffs were negatively affecting a factory in north-east England, which he did not name, but denied having been called a “natural business person” regarding increased drilling in the North Sea.
The pair appeared to be at odds over the future of AI, with Mr Burnham advocating for internationally agreed regulations, while the President dismissed any such “globalist scheme.”
At the beginning of the meeting, the US president praised the prime minister’s “great election win” in the Makerfield by-election, remarking, “That was a big one, and I think he’s going to be a great prime minister. I think he’s got a lot of assets on his side.”
“We talked about everything from Rolls-Royce to energy to immigration – we covered a lot,” he added. Mr Trump asserted, “It’s a really special country and we are with you all the way, Mr prime minister.”
During the discussion, Mr Burnham countered narratives about Britain and other European nations facing decline, a topic discussed among some figures in the Trump administration. He articulated his belief that Britain has “been in too much turbulence” and shared his vision for a decade aimed at improving the country’s fortunes. Sitting alongside Mr Trump, he stated, “I think you responded when I said we are going to lay out a plan for Britain, a 10-year direction.”
In a forthcoming speech to the United Nations, Mr Burnham plans to insist that Britain is not “on the slide,” aiming to signal a fresh start following a decade of post-Brexit upheaval. Before this address, he indicated he would convey a “really upbeat message” about the UK, though he acknowledged that long-standing structural issues must be addressed to enhance living standards. He intends to position Britain as an “honest broker,” capable of uniting international powers on regulatory frameworks, echoing Gordon Brown’s global leadership during the 2008 financial crisis.
The interplay between Burnham and Trump highlights both common ground and significant challenges in UK-US relations as they navigate complex global issues.
