Labour’s ‘Surrender’ of Chagos Islands Sparks Furious Legal Battle – Outrage Grows!

Labour’s plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has sparked yet another legal battle, with two British women born on Diego Garcia vowing to take the Foreign Office to court. Just days after top Tory peers announced their own High Court challenge, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe are stepping up, branding the move a “surrender.”

The two women, who want the right to return to their birthplace, argue the islands should remain British. The native Chagossians were forced to leave by 1973 to make way for a UK-US military base, and their long-standing fight for justice has now become a major flashpoint in Labour’s controversial deal. Dugasse and Pompe’s legal team has sent a pre-action letter to David Lammy’s department, accusing the Government of unlawfully excluding the Chagossians from the decision-making process.

Pompe didn’t hold back, saying: “Chagossians were removed from their place of birth, without their consultation, and have been treated badly for 60 years. Since then we have been struggling to understand why we have been treated so poorly by the British government. Our human rights have been stripped away”, reported the GB News.

She also slammed the Government’s approach, adding: “Today the British Government is repeating the same mistakes which it made 60 years ago. All our suffering and cries to be heard have been falling on deaf ears… I want to stay British and I also want the right to return to the Chagos Islands.”

Barrister Michael Polak, representing the pair, reinforced their argument, saying: “The Government’s attempt to give away the Chagossians’ homeland whilst failing to hold a formal consultation with the Chagossian people is a continuation of their terrible treatment by the authorities in the past.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson, responding to the challenge, kept their statement brief: “We do not comment on potential legal challenges.” They also stressed that the UK’s priority in negotiations with Mauritius was ensuring the full operation of the Diego Garcia base. “However, we have worked to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians,” they added.

This latest legal fight follows a separate challenge from a group of Conservative campaigners, who last week issued their own pre-action letter against the Foreign Office. They’re seeking a judicial review that could see the entire deal scrapped. Leading the charge are Lord Kempsell, a former adviser to Boris Johnson, ex-Cabinet minister Lord Lilley, and historian Lord Roberts of Belgravia. Their argument? That ministers lack the authority to hand over British territory to a foreign power.

Lord Kempsell didn’t mince his words: “The loss of British sovereign territory and the complete erasure of the Chagossians from the debate requires action, not words… That is why I am launching this judicial review working jointly with many others who are outraged by this scandal.”

With multiple legal battles brewing, Labour’s controversial handover plan is facing mounting resistance, and the fight over the Chagos Islands is far from over.