Conservative Peers have sent pre-action correspondence to the Foreign Office, demanding a full judicial review.
A major legal battle is brewing over Keir Starmer’s “insane” plan to hand the Chagos Islands — a jewel of British overseas territory — to Mauritius, in a deal critics are branding a “surrender” that risks national security and would cost UK taxpayers an eye-watering £9 billion.
The row has exploded behind the scenes after a legal threat backed by heavyweight Conservative peers was fired at the Foreign Office, accusing Labour ministers of unlawfully giving away strategic land without Parliament’s approval.
Close Trump ally and former White House strategist Steve Bannon waded into the row on GB News, warning the deal could undermine Western security in the Indo-Pacific.
“I don’t see how you Brits fight for the Falklands in the South Atlantic but you give away one of the greatest strategic assets in the world today,” Bannon said.
He singled out Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and home to a critical joint UK-US military base:
“People should know this obscure island of Diego Garcia – and if you’re a Pacific Fleet sailor it’s everything, because that’s where you refuel, that’s where you restore – it is actually the lynchpin of the Indo-Pacific strategy.”
He warned that losing control over the island complicates not just UK but also US strategy amid ongoing tensions in the Red Sea and South China Sea, saying:
“With two carrier battle groups in the Red Sea, your only alternative is going around South Africa… if you’re a Pacific fleet, you’ve got to go back through the Straits of Malacca. Somehow somebody’s got to refuel or restore at Diego Garcia.”
Bannon also said he wasn’t sure whether Donald Trump had officially approved the deal — “I don’t know if that’s totally official” — and strongly hinted that the Trump administration could still reject the agreement, especially if it is seen as threatening American security interests.
Legal Storm Erupts: Ministers Accused of Breaking the Law
The campaign group Save the Chagos, supported by a formidable list of Conservative grandees, has now sent pre-action correspondence to the Foreign Office, demanding a full judicial review. They allege that Labour’s deal — struck without a vote in Parliament — is not only unconstitutional but potentially “ultra vires”, or beyond ministers’ legal powers.
The charge sheet is serious:
- Ministers allegedly bypassed Parliament, using royal prerogative powers to make a secretive international deal
- Taxpayers may be on the hook for £9 billion in leaseback fees over 99 years
- Mauritius could receive much of that sum upfront, according to insiders
- National security is being risked, critics say, for the sake of diplomatic appeasement
Who’s Behind the Fightback?
Leading the charge are senior Tory figures including:
- Lord Lilley, former Cabinet minister
- Lord Kempsell, ex-Boris Johnson adviser
- Lord Roberts of Belgravia, respected historian
- The Great British PAC, fronted by sovereignty advocate Ben Habib
Lord Kempsell said bluntly: “The loss of British sovereign territory and the complete erasure of the Chagossians from the debate requires action, not words.”
Academic and campaigner Calum Drysdale added: “The Chagos ‘deal’ is a betrayal of the British public and Chagossian people.” Their case rests on a powerful constitutional argument: only Parliament has the authority to approve the transfer of British territory — and no such vote has been held.
Tory Heavyweights Sound the Alarm
Former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis previously warned the deal was so “outlandish and irrational,” it practically invited legal action.
Lord Lilley was unequivocal: “The UK is under no obligation to hand over the Chagos Islands. Ministers supporting this initiative are either unaware that they do so without any legal necessity or they do not want us to know that there is no legal reason to give up the Chagos islands.”
Labour Accused of Selling Out Britain
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel didn’t mince her words either, calling the plan: “One of Britain’s worst foreign policy failures of recent years.”
Writing in the Telegraph, she fumed: “It is like handing your house over to someone else, then paying to rent it out.”
She claims the deal was hastily amended after a new Mauritian prime minister came to power, with Labour allegedly front-loading payments and waiving the UK’s option to renew the Diego Garcia lease.
Even House of Cards author Lord Dobbs weighed in: “I can’t understand why the Government seems to be hiding so much. This is vital to our national security, it should be dealt with on the basis of fact and law, not serving up evasion and Chinese fortune cookies.”
What Happens Now?
The High Court will now consider whether to allow the case to proceed. If it does, it could block the entire deal — and trigger a full-blown political crisis for Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
The message from the legal challengers is clear: Britain doesn’t surrender territory — it defends it.
Stay tuned. This legal battle is just getting started.
Sign the petition to defend Britain’s future:
I, the undersigned, demand that the Labour Government immediately reverse its outrageous decision to surrender the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including the invaluable Diego Garcia, to Mauritius.
This deeply misguided move not only betrays the displaced Chagossians, but also imperils Britain’s national security and undermines the strategic interests of the West.
I demand the British Labour government reverse their outrageous decision. The Chagos Islands must remain British. SIGNED:
Main Image: Diego Garcia military base was of significant strategic importance, particularly for operations in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Scene Camera Operator: PH2 Frazier. Copyright: Public Domain.
