Andy Burnham sparks fears he will resurrect Chagos 'surrender' as he confirms deal's champion Jonathan Powell will stay as national security chief

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 10:41, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 10:47, 9 July 2026 Andy Burnham has prompted fresh fears he will resurrect Labour's 'surrender' of the Chagos Islands after he confirmed he will keep the architect of the deal in place. The would-be prime minister, who is almost certain to replace Keir Starmer on 20 July, said he would retain Jonathan Powell as national security adviser. Mr Powell led the Government's negotiations with Mauritius on the controversial agreement to cede sovereignty of the strategically-vital Chagos Islands. Under the terms of the deal, Britain would hand the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius and then pay to lease back the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, for 99 years. It would see Britain pay an average of £101million a year to Mauritius over that period, totalling about £3.4billion according to the Government's figures. But critics have said the real cost would actually amount to £35billion and warned about handing control of the islands to Mauritius, which is seen as an ally of China. Parliament's ratification of the agreement stalled earlier this year after US President Donald Trump pulled his support for the deal. It had been thought the withdrawal of US backing would kill off Labour's bid to hand over the islands - but there are now growing concerns that Mr Burnham will mount a new attempt to push it through once he's in Downing Street. Andy Burnham, who is almost certain to replace Keir Starmer on 20 July, said he would retain Jonathan Powell (pictured) as national security adviser Mr Powell led the Government's negotiations with Mauritius on the controversial agreement to cede sovereignty of the strategically-vital Chagos Islands In an article in The Times, in which he tried to outline his approach to foreign policy, Mr Burnham confirmed Mr Powell would stay as a key No10 aide. 'There's no doubt that we face a growing and evolving threat, which we must prepare for using the ingenuity and talents of the British people,' Mr Burnham wrote. 'As prime minister, I will surround myself with the best and most experienced advisers when it comes to national security, and this includes keeping Jonathan Powell as national security adviser.' It had previously been suggested that Mr Burnham might bring in Olly Robbins, the former Brexit negotiator, as his national security adviser. Such a move would have allowed the incoming PM to formally ditch the controversial Chagos Islands deal, Whitehall sources had claimed. Concerns have previously been raised about Mr Powell's 'secret' visits to China for talks. Mr Powell met Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, in March to discuss security matters and the wars in Iran and Ukraine. But the trip only became known about after a press release was issued by Beijing. No10 refused to give details of the discussions, or even confirm they took place. It was the second time Mr Powell had secretly travelled to China, following a previous meeting with Mr Wang in Beijing in November. Some MPs have dubbed Mr Powell - who was formerly Tony Blair's chief of staff in Downing Street - as Labour's 'de facto foreign secretary'.