Andy Burnham Vows to Push Chagos Islands Deal With Mauritius Andy Burnham vows to do everything possible to secure the Chagos Islands treaty with Mauritius, ahead of talks with Donald Trump on the Diego Garcia base. Andy Burnham has vowed to do everything possible to press ahead with the surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ahead of a potentially crunch meeting with Donald Trump. The UK Prime Minister spoke with his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam on Monday night, with Downing Street saying he underlined his commitment to working with Mauritius and the US to secure the operation of the Diego Garcia military base. Chagos Treaty Talks ResumeThe Government's plans for a treaty to hand over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory in exchange for renting and retaining control of Diego Garcia have been paused since April after opposition from the Trump administration. The call with the Mauritian prime minister came ahead of a bilateral meeting on Tuesday between Mr Burnham and US President Donald Trump, who previously called the Chagos deal an act of great stupidity, despite initially backing it.A readout of the call from the Mauritian PM's office went further than that issued by Downing Street, saying: the British Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to continue doing everything possible, alongside the United States, to secure the treaty's ratification, as the United Kingdom recognizes the need to guarantee the use of the Diego Garcia military base for its security.It triggered anger from opponents of the handover, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch saying: Why can't Andy Burnham do everything possible to bring down the cost of welfare, or do everything possible to fund defence properly? Why is giving away this territory such a priority for Labour that they are willing to give away billions to do so when there's little money for anything else?Diego Garcia Base Lease DetailsThe Government's Chagos deal, prompted by a ruling from the International Court of Justice, would see sovereignty transferred to Mauritius. The deal would also see the Diego Garcia base leased back for 99 years, with an option to extend beyond that.But it has been opposed by the Conservatives and the White House over concerns about security and the overall cost of the deal, which some have suggested could hit 35 billion pounds over the course of a century.Asked about the call by reporters as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly 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.UK Mauritius Talks at UNGAA Downing Street spokesman 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.