Chagos first minister warns Burnham not to surrender islands as UN showdown looms
The Chagos first minister has told new PM Andy Burnham the islands must stay British, as Mauritius prepares a UN showdown next month.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is facing fresh pressure over the Chagos Islands after the first minister of the territory publicly warned him not to proceed with what he called a "shameful" surrender deal. The warning comes as Mauritius is reportedly planning a confrontation at the United Nations summit next month, where Mr Burnham will be in attendance.
The Chagos first minister, Misley Mandarin, gave a live interview from the islands, insisting that Chagossians are British citizens living on British territory and have not been consulted. He told GB News that the deal signed earlier had no Chagossian involvement, but now there are Chagosians living there for more than seven months. He said the new Prime Minister must "show leadership to the world" and listen to his own people, even though they are in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Mr Mandarin also rejected arguments about colonial history, saying the central issue is self-determination. He reminded that the Labour government under Harold Wilson deported Chagossians, and he accused Keir Starmer of trying to hand over their homeland to Mauritius, which he called a key ally of China. He promised to fight "tooth and nail" to keep the islands British if Mr Burnham goes ahead with the deal.
The exchange took place on GB News Tonight, where presenter Martin Dormley noted that the Trump administration had withdrawn its support earlier this year, describing the deal as an act of stupidity. In the studio, Green Party councillor Martin Abrams argued that the Chagos Islands should not remain a UK or US military base, saying it has been used for bombing raids in illegal wars. He said the islands and the people must have self-determination, but also that reparations are owed to Mauritius. The presenter pushed back, stressing the strategic value of Diego Garcia.
The confrontation is set to come to a head at the UN summit, where Mauritius is expected to push its claim to the archipelago. For now, the new Prime Minister has remained silent on the matter, but the Chagos first minister has made clear the fight is far from over.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| Chagossians are British citizens living on British territory. | |
| Mauritius is planning to raise the Chagos issue at the United Nations summit next month. | |
| The Trump administration withdrew its support from the Chagos deal, describing the deal as an act of stupidity. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News framed the story around the new PM's silence and the risk that he will follow Keir Starmer in a surrender. The channel interviewed the Chagos first minister, giving a platform to the Chagossian perspective that they are British citizens who want to stay British. The presenter also challenged a green councillor by pushing back on criticism of the UK and the US role on Diego Garcia.
- “They are British Overseas Territory citizens. They are British citizens on British territory.”
- “If Andy Burnham decided to go ahead with that shameful deal, we can fight tooth and nail to keep our homeland British.”
- “I do believe that there needs to be self-determination for the Chagossians, but you also need to look back at history as to what happened.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.