In a dramatic emergency broadcast from the Chagos Archipelago, Misley Mandarin, Interim First Minister of the Chagos Islands, declared that his government is formally granting the United States permission to use Diego Garcia for military operations, directly defying Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Government in London.
The address amounts to an extraordinary political challenge to Downing Street’s authority over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which remains British sovereign territory as the proposed deal with Mauritius has not been ratified by Parliament.
Mandarin made clear that, in his view and in the view of many Chagossians, the islands should remain British and should not be transferred under what he described as a reckless and ideologically driven arrangement being pursued by Labour.
“Let the world hear this clearly,” Mandarin said. “We are the lawful, democratically elected Government of the Chagos Islands. We are here. We govern here. And we decide what happens here.”
Direct Permission to the United States
At the centre of the address was an explicit authorisation aimed at Washington.
“If the United States determines that decisive and lawful action is required to prevent a greater conflict and defend international order,” Mandarin said, “we grant our permission for the operational use of Diego Garcia in defence of peace secured through strength.”
Diego Garcia remains one of the most strategically important military facilities in the world. For decades it has served as a logistics and bomber hub for United States operations across the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa. Its deep water anchorage and extended runway allow it to host heavy bombers and major naval assets, making it indispensable to Western defence strategy.
Under current arrangements, the territory forms part of the British Indian Ocean Territory and is leased by the United Kingdom to the United States under a long standing defence agreement.
Crucially, despite Labour’s ongoing negotiations with Mauritius, sovereignty has not changed. No agreement has yet been ratified by Parliament. As matters stand, the islands remain British.
Mandarin’s declaration was therefore framed not as a symbolic gesture, but as an assertion that Chagossians themselves reject any transfer and insist that the territory remain under British sovereignty while continuing to host American forces.
A Scathing Rebuke of Starmer and Labour
The speech repeatedly and forcefully criticised Keir Starmer, portraying him as weak, ideologically driven, and prepared to concede British territory for political convenience.
“We will not allow hesitation by Keir Starmer in Downing Street to paralyse the defence of the free world from our shores,” Mandarin said.
He accused the Labour Government of treating Diego Garcia as a negotiating token in talks with Mauritius, following the 2019 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which stated that the United Kingdom should end its administration of the islands. That opinion was advisory and not legally binding, yet Labour has used it as justification to reopen sovereignty negotiations.
In his most direct remarks, Mandarin questioned Starmer’s judgement and intentions.
“We do not trust Keir Starmer,” he said. “He is trying to give away our islands to a country that has no legitimate claim to them, and he is reportedly prepared to pay billions to do so. It is extraordinary.”
Explaining his recent arrival on the islands, he continued:
“That is why last week I came here with my father and others. My father was born on these islands. What a former Labour government did to our people then, removing them from their homeland, we fear this Labour government is attempting to repeat in a different form today.”
He added:
“These are our lands. We want them to remain British. Keir Starmer must halt this dreadful deal to give them away, and America must be allowed to operate safely from Diego Garcia. World security is at stake.”
The remarks draw a pointed historical parallel. Between 1968 and 1973, a previous Labour government oversaw the removal of the indigenous Chagossian population to make way for construction of the United States base. That episode remains one of the most controversial decisions in modern British foreign policy.
Mandarin’s message was clear, Labour removed the islanders once before, and in his view is now prepared to disregard their wishes again.
Judicial Review and the Great British PAC
The sovereignty dispute is not confined to diplomatic negotiations. A judicial review backed by the Great British PAC is currently before the UK courts, challenging aspects of the Government’s approach and seeking to ensure that Chagossian voices are properly heard before any irreversible decision is made.
The case was heard in October 2025 but is still awaiting a ruling on whether it may proceed.
Supporters argue that Parliament must not be bypassed and that any attempt to finalise a transfer without full scrutiny would be constitutionally and morally indefensible. They also contend that Chagossians who wish the islands to remain British have been marginalised in the political debate.
Mandarin referenced these legal efforts as part of a broader pushback against what he described as a surrender of British territory without democratic consent.
Appeal to Washington
Mandarin also appealed directly to the United States, and to President Donald Trump, praising his past recognition of Diego Garcia’s strategic importance.
“President Trump has spoken clearly about the strategic importance of Diego Garcia,” he said. “Peace is preserved by maintaining credible strength, not by dismantling the pillars that uphold it.”
He offered cooperation to Washington, but with expectations in return.
“You have our partnership. You have our co operation. You have our permission. But partnership must be mutual.”
Mandarin called for formal recognition of what he described as the Chagossian Government as the legitimate democratic authority of the islands, alongside guarantees protecting indigenous lands, the right of return, and permanent sovereignty.
A Political Flashpoint
Legally, the United Kingdom continues to administer the territory. Operational control of the base remains governed by agreements between London and Washington.
What Mandarin has done is inject political volatility into an already sensitive situation. By publicly granting permission to the United States and asserting that Chagossians want the islands to remain British, he has positioned himself as a direct obstacle to Labour’s proposed settlement.
With the deal not yet ratified, UK Parliament still holds the decisive vote. As global instability increases and the strategic value of Diego Garcia becomes ever more apparent, the question facing Westminster is no longer abstract.
It is whether a British government should transfer sovereign territory against the stated wishes democratically elected to represent its indigenous people, while one of the West’s most important military installations remains at its heart.
For now, the islands remain British. The judicial review looms. Another judicial review permission hearing is being held today to see if the Chagossians can remain on their islands. And the political pressure on Keir Starmer is intensifying.
READ FIRST MINISTER MISLEY MANDARIN’S STATEMENT IN FULL:
Emergency Address from Misley Mandarin,
Democratically Elected First Minister of the Chagos Islands,
Broadcast from the Chaos Islands
Today, I speak not as a voice in exile, but as the elected head of government standing on our own soil.
Let the world hear this clearly.
We are the lawful, democratically elected Government of the Chagos Islands.
We are here. We govern here. And we decide what happens here.
For too long, decisions about Diego Garcia and our islands have been made in distant capitals by leaders who have never felt the salt wind across this lagoon, or understood what it means to lose a homeland. For too long, our islands have been treated as leverage in other peoples’ political calculations.
That era is over.
Diego Garcia is one of the most strategically vital outposts in the free world. It is not simply a base, it is a keystone of stability across the Indian Ocean. It protects trade routes, deters hostile regimes, and underwrites global security.
In moments of rising danger, clarity matters.
If the United States determines that decisive and lawful action is required to prevent a greater conflict and defend international order, then hear this:
As the democratically elected Government of the Chagos Islands, we grant our permission for the operational use of Diego Garcia in defence of peace secured through strength.
We will not allow hesitation by Keir Starmer in Downing Street to paralyse the defence of the free world from our shores.
This is our homeland.
This is our government.
And this is our sovereign decision.
President Trump has spoken clearly about the strategic importance of Diego Garcia. He understands what many others do not, that peace is preserved by maintaining credible strength, not by dismantling the pillars that uphold it.
To the President of the United States, I say this directly.
You have our partnership.
You have our co-operation.
You have our permission.
But partnership must be mutual.
If our homeland stands as a shield for America and its allies, then America must stand as a shield for our people.
We ask for formal recognition of the Chagossian Government as the legitimate democratic authority of these islands.
We ask for binding guarantees protecting our indigenous lands, our right of return, and our permanent sovereignty.
We ask that never again will our people be removed, ignored, or negotiated away without our consent.
Strength for strength. Security for security. Recognition for partnership.
There are those who argue that forward defences should be weakened, that strategic ground should be surrendered, that resolve should yield to caution. History does not look kindly upon retreat when it invites instability.
The Chagos Islands will not be surrendered to Keir Starmer’s political drift.
Diego Garcia will not be reduced to a bargaining chip.
And our people will not be silent spectators in decisions that shape the fate of our homeland.
From this island, once emptied, now governed by its own people, we declare:
We stand with America.
We stand with decisive leadership.
We stand for peace secured through strength.
And we expect our sovereignty to be recognised in return.
The world is watching.
This time, so are we. Thank you.
