UK deal on Chagos Islands can go ahead, court rules

A BRITISH court on Thursday cleared the way for the government to proceed with a deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, lifting a temporary injunction that had blocked the signing of the agreement.

The deal would involve the UK transferring the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius and paying to lease the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory.

Prime minister Keir Starmer was scheduled to finalise the agreement in a virtual signing ceremony with Mauritian representatives on Thursday. However, a last-minute injunction granted to two Chagossian women by London's High Court delayed the process.

The injunction, granted early Thursday morning, temporarily blocked the deal, leading to criticism of the government. At a 10:30am hearing, Judge Martin Chamberlain lifted the ban, stating that extending it could harm the UK’s national and public interest. He added that any further legal challenges must be brought before the Court of Appeal.

“We welcome the judge's ruling today,” a government spokesperson said.

The opposition Conservatives criticised the proposed agreement. “You’re seeing British sovereign territory being given away to an ally of China, and billions of pounds of British taxpayers’ money being spent for the privilege,” said Conservative MP Robert Jenrick. “This was always a bad deal,” he added.

Earlier, the two Chagossian women, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, had sought the injunction after a leaked newspaper report on Wednesday night indicated that the deal was set to be announced.

Outside the court, about 50 protesters gathered. The women's lawyer, Philip Rule, said the government was acting “unlawfully” and argued that Thursday could be the court’s last chance to intervene.

Starmer has said Britain’s ownership of the Chagos Islands has been questioned by international legal rulings and that an agreement with Mauritius is the only way to ensure the base remains operational.

The base on Diego Garcia is leased to the United States and is considered a key military facility in the Asia-Pacific, having been used during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ahead of the court’s ruling, a government spokesperson told AFP, “The deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.”

The Conservative Party called the agreement a “sellout for British interests”.

Britain retained the Chagos Islands after Mauritius became independent in the 1960s. Thousands of Chagossian residents were later removed from the islands and have pursued legal claims for compensation.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that the UK return the islands to Mauritius following decades of legal disputes.

Under the proposed deal, the UK would obtain a 99-year lease for the base, with the option to renew. The government has not disclosed the cost but has not denied reports of a £90 million annual fee.

Mauritian prime minister Navin Ramgoolam has said Mauritius would continue to pursue full sovereignty over the islands if the United States did not support the agreement.

(With inputs from agencies)