The First Minister of the Chagossian people has issued an urgent call to the British public as legislation to transfer sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius reaches its third reading in the House of Lords tomorrow (Monday).
Misley Mandarin, First Minister of the Chagossian Government in Exile, is urging citizens across the United Kingdom to contact members of the House of Lords immediately, warning that every Lord must vote the legislation down if Britain is to avoid what he describes as an irreversible and deeply damaging decision.
If the Bill passes its third reading, sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago would be handed to Mauritius, ending British control of a strategically vital overseas territory and committing British taxpayers to payments estimated at more than thirty billion pounds, potentially rising to thirty five billion pounds, to lease back the Diego Garcia military base.
Opponents argue that the legislation has been rushed through without adequate scrutiny, public consent, or consultation with the Chagossian people themselves, who were forcibly removed from their homeland between 1968 and 1973 by a previous Labour Government.
The Chagos Archipelago consists of sixty islands, fifty nine of which are uninhabited, and is widely recognised as one of the most pristine marine environments in the world. Environmental experts warn that decades of British protection have preserved reefs and ecosystems that could be placed at risk if sovereignty is transferred to a state lacking the capacity to police such a remote region.
Security concerns have also dominated debate. Diego Garcia hosts one of the most important UK US military bases, central to global deterrence, the protection of international trade routes, and recent operations in the Middle East. Under the proposed agreement, Britain would lose sovereignty and retain access only through a long term lease, significantly reducing its leverage.
Defence analysts warn that future restrictions could be imposed, that access could be renegotiated, or that other powers could gain influence in the region. China has sought to expand its footprint across the Indian Ocean, and whistleblower material has raised concerns about their long term strategic interest in Chagos.
Further alarm has been raised by stark security and legal warnings. Defence experts state plainly that there is nowhere else on that side of the planet where the United Kingdom and the United States can base, sustain, and protect their submarine fleets and strategic deterrent capabilities in the way they can at Diego Garcia. That reality underpins Britain’s global defence posture.
They also point to the Pelindaba Treaty, which Mauritius has signed and which establishes a nuclear weapons free zone across Africa and adjacent waters. Once Mauritius holds sovereignty, legal authority over those waters would transfer with it. Experts warn that Mauritius would then have the legal right to restrict or prohibit the transit, presence, or support of nuclear capable submarines and weapons systems through Chagos waters. Such restrictions could, in theory, be imposed the day after ratification, placing AUKUS operations, Britain’s nuclear deterrent, and the long term viability of the base in immediate jeopardy.
The political controversy has intensified because the proposed transfer was never put to voters. It was not included in Labour’s general election manifesto. On the contrary, Labour explicitly pledged to protect Britain’s Overseas Territories and to defend the right to self-determination, a commitment set out on page 120 of the manifesto.
Mandarin and other Chagossian representatives say they were never consulted on the deal and that they wish to remain British. They argue that decisions about their homeland are being made without their consent, by governments and institutions in which they have no voice.
Chagossian leaders and their supporters now argue that excluding the Chagossian people from decisions determining the future of their territory amounts to racial discrimination. They point out that a predominantly non white indigenous population has been ignored while sovereignty over its homeland is negotiated between two states, without meaningful consultation or representation.
A judicial review, supported by the Great British PAC, is currently under way in the UK courts, challenging the legality of the process. The House of Lords has already voted to delay and amend the legislation, citing concerns over cost, security, and constitutional precedent.
With the third reading scheduled for tomorrow, opponents say this vote represents the last realistic opportunity to stop the deal. They are calling on peers to reject the Bill in full and send it back to Parliament to be worked out properly, with full scrutiny, legal clarity, and genuine consultation with the Chagossian people.
“This legislation must be voted down,” Mandarin said. “It needs to return to Parliament, and it needs to be done properly. We must be consulted. Anything less repeats the injustices of the past.”
Campaigners are now urging members of the public to email Lords directly, warning that once sovereignty is transferred, there will be no mechanism to reverse it.
As the decisive vote approaches, pressure is mounting on peers to consider not only the legal and strategic consequences, but the moral one. For critics of the deal, tomorrow’s vote is not procedural. It is historic.
