We need a Falklands solution to the Chagos Islands crisis
Our British family of nations is not confined to simply the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It includes the people of Gibraltar, the Falklands, Bermuda, Montserrat, and the other territories scattered across the globe. The UK Overseas Territories are not distant lands inhabited by strangers – they are a core part of our shared identity and country, and the people that live in them are as British as those in Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and London. As the First Minister of Northern Ireland, I sought to forge friendships with leaders of the Overseas Territories, most notably with our European counterparts, Gibraltar.
Next week, I have the privilege of visiting the Falkland Islands as part of a delegation organised by Friends of the British Overseas Territories. This visit is both an opportunity to learn more about the lives of those living on the islands, but also a chance to reflect on the broader principles of self-determination, sovereignty, and the rights of those who call the UK Overseas Territories their homes.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the Falkland Islands, where the population has repeatedly reaffirmed its wish to remain British with the support of successive UK Governments, despite pressure from Argentina. The Falkland Islanders cherish their right to self-determination, just as the people of Northern Ireland do.
It is against this background that I wish to highlight the plight of the Chagossian people. As the UK Government negotiates a deal with Mauritius over the sovereignty of the islands, they are doing so over the heads of the Chagossian people and failing to respect their right to self-determination. This is wrong. It is unjust. And it is something that those of us who care deeply about the UK Overseas Territories and their people must stand up against.
Yet, whilst the UK Government rightly defends the other Overseas Territories' right to self-determination, they fail the Chagossians by negotiating their future without their consent, citing the lack of a permanent population on the islands as an excuse (one of many excuses) – which is only the case because they were forcibly removed in the first place.
The argument provided by the UK Government is that handing over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is a way of righting a historic wrong. But what kind of justice ignores the very people who were forcibly removed from their homeland? True justice would mean allowing the Chagossians to return to their islands under British sovereignty and live side-by-side with the base on Diego Garcia; just like in Cyprus or Ascension Island. Instead, they are being told that their homeland will be handed to a country they do not wish to be part of, and one with no real claim over the islands, under a government that has shown little interest in their well-being. To identify yourself as Chagossian in Mauritius could land you with a 10-year jail sentence – what sort of free-speaking Commonwealth partner is this?
But there is a bigger issue at stake, and one that should concern all of us who value the right to self-determination. If the UK Government is willing to negotiate away the sovereignty of one Overseas Territory without the full consideration of its people, what message does that send about their support for the right to self-determination across the other Overseas Territories? The principle of self-determination cannot be selectively applied. If we defend the right of the Falkland Islanders and Gibraltarians to decide their own future, we must do the same for the Chagossians. During my visit to the Falklands, I am looking forward to meeting people who understand what it means to fight for their identity and right to self-determination. The Falkland Islanders know what it is like to face a threat to their sovereignty from a nation with no legitimate claim.
I have previously stood-up for Northern Ireland, putting the case forward that we are one British family - we must look after each other and put our interests first.
That is why I am calling on people of the Overseas Territories, and people right across the UK, to stand in solidarity with the Chagossians. This is not just their fight - it is a fight for all of us who believe in the right of British people to determine their own future, and I have sought to strongly support them in the House of Lords and through Friends of the British Overseas Territories.
The Falkland Islanders have shown the will of the people matters: not just once, but twice they decided to remain part of the British family. The Chagossians have suffered enough, it is time to right the wrongs of the past and ensure their voices are heard and their wishes implemented.
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