What We Know About the UK's Renewed Review of the Chagos Deal

London — The United Kingdom is reviewing its agreement to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after President Donald Trump told British officials at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that the deal was "terrible," Defence Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed to the BBC.

Why is London reviewing the deal now?

Streeting said the review was necessary because Washington has withheld support for the agreement as currently drafted. "We have to [review it] because the United States doesn't support it," he told BBC Breakfast, adding that Trump's remarks a day earlier "wasn't new but I think it does provide absolute clarity that his position on this Chagos deal as currently drafted is not changing." Government sources told the BBC the comments do not represent a shift from London's long-standing position that any final agreement requires American backing, though Streeting's language was notable for explicitly stating the current draft cannot secure Trump's approval.

What did Trump say, and how did Burnham respond?

During his first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump called the agreement a "terrible deal" and said the UK was "going to be looking" at it, according to the BBC. Burnham's reply was a single word: "Yep." He later told broadcasters he has "inherited the situation and we need a resolution," adding that safeguarding the military base "matters to us for security reasons, but also clearly to the United States as well."

"So we have to do more work with our American allies, with President Trump and his administration, to get the deal to a place where he can support it." — Wes Streeting, UK Defence Secretary

What does the original deal actually say?

Under the agreement signed in May 2025, Britain would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius while leasing back the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the archipelago's largest island, for 99 years, the BBC reported. London would pay an average of £101m ($136m) annually for the lease. Mauritius has argued it was illegally forced to relinquish the islands in 1965 as a condition of independence, and Streeting said every UK prime minister since Boris Johnson has held the view that an unresolved legal dispute over sovereignty poses a risk to the base's security. The bill required to formally hand over sovereignty had not passed Parliament before the deal was paused indefinitely in April, when Trump withdrew his support.

What happens next?

Burnham had spoken with Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam ahead of the New York trip; an official readout said he "reiterated his commitment to continue doing everything possible," alongside Washington, to ratify the deal. The BBC reported the review is not expected to follow a formal process with a fixed timeframe.

What to watch:

• Whether London and Washington produce a revised draft that addresses Trump's objections
• Any further contact between Burnham and Ramgoolam on ratification terms
• Statements from the Trump administration clarifying what changes would secure US support
• Parliamentary action, or inaction, on the sovereignty transfer bill

Source: BBC News