Latest news with #BritishIndianOceanTerritory
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Tory peers in last-ditch attempt to block Chagos Islands giveaway
Conservative peers have launched a last-ditch attempt to stop Sir Keir Starmer from giving the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Tories in the Lords have put forward a fatal motion to block the Chagos Islands treaty signed by Sir Keir last month. The deal will give up British sovereignty over the archipelago, known in the UK as the British Indian Ocean Territory, and see the UK pay Mauritius £30 billion over 99 years. Lord Callanan, the shadow foreign minister in the Lords, put forward a motion demanding that the Government 'should not ratify the agreement', citing cost and security concerns. The peer told The Telegraph: 'Spooked by a last minute legal fight, the Government's unnecessary political decision to sign away our sovereignty over the Chagos Islands will cost the British taxpayer £30 billion and put our strategic defence interests at risk. 'Taxpayers and businesses have already been hit hard by Labour's vindictive tax rises, and pensioners have been left cold from the cruel winter fuel payment cut. This Chagos sellout shows Labour's true priorities. That is why Conservatives are leading the fight against this shameful surrender deal in the House of Lords.' The Lords motion cites 'concerns about the cost of the agreement, the absence of any legal requirement to conclude such an agreement, its impact on international security, the lack of any meaningful consultation of the Chagossian people, and recognising the right of Chagossians to be registered as British Overseas Territory citizens under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022'. If a subsequent vote passes, the Government could be forced to make a statement in the Commons to explain why it is ignoring the upper chamber. It is the first time a Lords front bench has sought to use the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act, passed in 2010, to block a treaty. A fatal motion, if passed, halts the process of the legislation, and the Government would ordinarily have to start again. But in the case of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act, a minister can choose to override the Lords by making a statement in the Commons. Meanwhile, Misley Mandarin, a British Chagossian, is being supported by the Great British PAC, a conservative movement headed by Ben Habib, the former Reform deputy leader, to take legal action against the Government. The organisation said it had raised enough money to launch a review and cover legal fees, but is seeking another £20,000 to underwrite the case. Mr Mandarin said: 'We were evicted from our homeland by a past Labour government. Now the current Labour Government is doing something even worse – stripping us of our right to self-determination.' Mr Habib said: 'This is not just a treaty, it's a national betrayal, done behind closed doors and without a democratic mandate. But it's not too late to stop it. This is a test of whether our Government is accountable to the law, and whether Parliament has the facts to do the right thing'. The Government's announcement of the Chagos Islands deal was temporarily delayed after a legal challenge was launched by Beatrice Pompe, a Chagossian. But the last-minute bid was dismissed by the High Court, allowing Sir Keir to sign the agreement and announce that a deal had been done. Last week, China welcomed the agreement as a 'massive achievement', despite the Prime Minister having claimed that Beijing had opposed it. Beijing's ambassador to Mauritius confirmed that the nation would soon join Beijing's Belt and Road initiative.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Shame on Starmer for his spineless betrayal of the Chaggosians
On Tuesday, Labour looked as though it might pull itself together. Aware that paying Mauritius while simultaneously cutting the winter fuel allowance was what political strategists call 'bad optics', it had put the surrender of the British Indian Ocean Territory on hold. The Mauritian government had given it plenty of excuses, constantly demanding more cash to take on a territory over which it had never exercised sovereignty, and for which it had already been paid a tidy sum in exchange for renouncing its claim. Might Labour come to its senses and scrap the whole deal? In the event, Sir Keir Starmer could not bring himself to question the supremacy of international lawyers. Rather than cancelling the Chagos surrender, he cancelled the attempt to trim our unaffordable benefits system. Taxpayers are being rinsed twice over. Commentators struggle to explain Labour's determination to hand the Chagos archipelago to a country more than 1,300 miles away. Mauritius will now be free to fish in the archipelago's protected waters, to build resorts on the outer atolls, to lease other islands in the chain to unfriendly powers. Incredibly, Starmer agreed to hand over tens of billions of pounds into the bargain, surely the most needless and humiliating capitulation since – well, since Monday, when he agreed to pay the EU for the privilege of giving it control over British regulations. What puzzled commentators miss, I think, is the almost religious power that the movement known as 'decolonise' has over human rights KCs like Starmer – especially when linked to appeals to international law. Wokesters dislike flags with Union Jacks in the corner. Their 'decolonise' imperative trumps strategic concerns (Mauritius revived its claims in earnest only when China became interested); economic concerns (why pay for the privilege of surrendering territory?); political concerns (every Labour tax rise will now be howled down as 'money for Mauritius'); and legal concerns (Britain only accepted the jurisdiction of the international court on the basis that it had no jurisdiction over disputes with other Commonwealth states). For the Doughty Street/Matrix Chambers nexus that appears to run Labour, framing is everything. Here, in their minds, was a quarrel between a colonial power and a former colony, between a largely white population and a largely non-white one, between a rich country and a poor, between virtuous human rights lawyers and dyspeptic retired colonels. But that framing is false. It ignores the truly wronged party, namely the indigenous Chagossians, removed from the archipelago by the then Labour Government in the late 1960s to make room for the air base on Diego Garcia. The largest concentration of Chagossians is in Crawley, in what used to be my Euro-constituency. They were a diverse bunch, with lots of views about what they ultimately wanted. But one thing united almost all of them: they did not want to be Mauritians. Several had come to Britain via Mauritius, where they complained of racism and discrimination. The surrender deal spurred them into holding protests around the country. I spoke to more than 500 at a rally in Hackney – by far the largest assembly of Chagossians I have seen in one place. There were protests outside Parliament and the Foreign Office. Indeed, the signing was held up by a last-minute legal challenge from Bertrice Pompe, who was removed from Diego Garcia when she was six, and who argued that being handed over to Mauritius was a breach of her and her community's rights. All to no avail, alas. For the student activists who run our country, withdrawing from British territory is all that matters. Shame on them. And shame on us for letting them get away with it.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Chagos 'surrender' CAN go ahead: Judge clears Keir Starmer to hand over UK territory after chaotic 11th-hour court attempt to block it
Keir Starmer was today cleared to announce the UK's 'surrender' of the Chagos Islands after a judge threw out an 11th-hour attempt to block it. The Prime Minister's plan to announce this morning that he was handing the archipelago to Mauritius was thrown into chaos after a High Court injection was made in the dead of night. Two Chagossian women born on Diego Garcia - now home to a major UK/US airbase - are fighting the handover as part of their bid to be allowed to return home. But after an emergency hearing this morning Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled that the handover of the islands, formally the British Indian Ocean Territory, can go ahead. The judge ruled at 12.43pm: 'I have concluded the stay should be lifted. And there should be no further interim relief.' Sir James Eadie KC, for the Foreign Office, told the High Court that 'damage has already flowed' from the delays caused by the injunction being issued, and a decision was needed by 1pm to get the deal done today. The handover agreement, which has been approved by US president Donald Trump, is highly controversial. Mauritius, which is friendly towards China, will be handed billions of pounds of taxpayers' money over decades for the lease to Diego Garcia. Critics say the country's friendly relations with Beijing mean the agreement will hinder the security of the base. Sir Keir was due to attend a virtual ceremony alongside representatives from the Mauritian government this morning to sign off on the deal. But in the early hours of this morning it emerged a High Court has granted an injunction stopping the negotiations being concluded. Mr Justice Goose granted 'interim relief' to Bertrice Pompe and Bernadette Dugasse, Chagossian women who had previously launched legal action over the deal, at 2.25am. The Chagossians were forced to leave the central Indian Ocean territory by 1973 to make way for the base. The Tories said that the injunction was a 'humiliation' for the Government. Under the terms of the agreement, Britain is expected to give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius, and lease back a crucial military base on the archipelago for 99 years. That was expected to cost £90million a year. The Government has argued that it has to give up sovereignty over the islands due to international legal rulings in favour of Mauritius. Following the signing ceremony, MPs were due to be updated on the terms of the deal in the House of Commons, which could include a 40-year extension to the lease of the military base. Mr Justice Goose granted 'interim relief' to Bertrice Pompe, one of two Chagossian women who had previously launched legal action over the deal, at 2.25am. Mr Justice Goose issued the 2.25am injunction, ordering: 'The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer.' The order continued: 'The defendant shall in particular not dispose of the territory in whole or in part. 'The defendant is to maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order.' According to the order, the judge granted the injunction 'upon consideration of the claimant's application for interim relief made out of court hours' and 'upon reading the defendants' response'. A Government spokeswoman said: 'We do not comment on ongoing legal cases. This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.' Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, is home to a joint UK-US military base, used to project Western influence in the Indian Ocean. Critics of proposals to hand over the islands to Mauritius fear the move will benefit China, which has a growing reach in the region. News reports recently suggested the deal had been delayed, with the Times newspaper claiming it had become 'toxic' amid criticism from Labour's political opponents. The Conservatives are among those which have criticised Labour's handling of the negotiations, though they began discussing the handover with Mauritius when they were in power. Speaking in the the House of Commons just this week, Defence Secretary John Healey insisted the base on Diego Garcia was 'essential to our security', and the UK's security relationship with the US. 'We've had to act, as the previous government started to do, to deal with that jeopardy, we're completing those arrangements and we'll report to the House when we can,' he added.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Court puts last-minute block on signing of Chagos Islands deal
A High Court judge has temporarily blocked the Government from concluding its deal on the Chagos Islands hours before it was expected to be signed off. Downing Street insisted the deal, which would see Britain give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and lease back a crucial military base there, is the 'right thing' but would not comment on the legal case. A hearing is expected to take place at 10.30am. Mr Justice Goose granted an injunction at 2.25am against the Foreign Office for 'interim relief' to Bertrice Pompe, one of two British women born on the Chagos Islands who had previously taken legal action over the deal. 'The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer,' Mr Justice Goose said in his order. The last-minute hurdle is the latest stumbling block to Sir Keir's efforts to get the deal over the line. He had been expected to attend a virtual ceremony alongside representatives from the Mauritian government on Thursday morning to sign off on the deal after several weeks in which it appeared to be on hold over political difficulties. Under the injunction, the Government is required to 'maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order'. The judge granted the injunction after considering an out of hours application from Ms Pompe and after reading a response from the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister's office. A Government spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on ongoing legal cases. 'This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.' Critics of proposals to hand over the islands to Mauritius fear the move will benefit China, which has a growing reach in the region. The Conservatives are among those which have criticised Labour's handling of the negotiations, though they began discussing the handover with Mauritius when they were in power. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'If this group can force the Government to think twice, then all power to them.' He told Sky News it was a 'bad deal' and a 'sell-out for British interests'.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Court halts conclusion of Chagos Islands deal with injunction
The Government has temporarily been banned from concluding its negotiations on the Chagos Islands deal by an injunction granted in the early hours by a High Court judge. Downing Street insisted the deal is the 'right thing' but would not comment on the legal case. A hearing is expected to take place at 10.30am. In the injunction granted at 2.25am on Thursday, brought against the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mr Justice Goose granted 'interim relief' to Bertrice Pompe, who had previously taken steps to bring legal action over the deal. 'The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer,' Mr Justice Goose said in his order. It requires the Government to 'maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order'. According to the order, the judge granted the injunction 'upon consideration of the claimant's application for interim relief made out of court hours' and 'upon reading the defendants' response'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to attend a virtual ceremony alongside representatives from the Mauritian government on Thursday morning to sign off on the deal. Britain would give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius under the deal, and lease back a crucial military base on the archipelago for 99 years. A Government spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on ongoing legal cases. 'This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.'
