𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham has come under fire after a minister suggested he would continue with the Chagos Islands deal. The Tories warned that the agreement to hand over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius “belongs on the ash heap of history”.

Under the controversial plans, the UK would pay eye-watering sums to lease back the joint military base on Diego Garcia with the US. The plan has been on hold following criticism from US President Donald Trump.

But speaking in the Commons today, Foreign Office minister Uma Kumaran indicated the pact has the Prime Minister’s backing.

She said that a US agreement would be necessary before the treaty is ratified, and that the UK will “continue to work with the US and Mauritius to find a way forward that is in the UK’s best interest”.

She told MPs: “This Government inherited a situation from the previous Conservative Government, where UK control over the vital UK-US military base in Diego Garcia was under threat.

“This is about the long-term safety and national security of the United Kingdom and the British people.

“Maintaining long-term operational control and security of the base remains a top priority and is the entire basis for the UK-Mauritius agreement. A financial element is a crucial part of that deal.”

But the Tories urged Mr Burnham to “show some backbone” and scrap the much-criticised deal.

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said: “Andy Burnham can’t find the money to fund our armed forces, but he is apparently happy to hand over billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money – not to mention British sovereign territory – to an ally of China.

“The Chagos Surrender deal has damaged our global reputation and will put our security and that of our allies at risk. It belongs on the ash heap of history.

“Burnham should show some backbone and break with this terrible legacy of the Starmer years by ditching his crazy Chagos deal once and for all, and spending the savings on our armed forces.”

Mr Trump, who initially backed the deal, went on to lambast it as “an act of great stupidity”.