Westminster was the scene of a passionate protest today as British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) citizens gathered to demand that Britain halts Labour’s plan to hand over the Chagos Islands.
Chanting “Hear our voice!” and waving banners, the protesters directed their ire squarely at Keir Starmer and his government, accusing them of ignoring the will of the islanders and bypassing democratic process.
Some well-known faces attended the rally, including former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns and former UKIP leader Henry Bolton.
“We weren’t consulted,” said one Chagossian protester, visibly emotional. “Keir Starmer is a human rights lawyer—what about our human rights? This is our home, our future, and yet we’ve been left out of the conversation.” Many echoed this sentiment, accusing the Labour leader of betraying the very principles he once championed.
The rally comes in response to Labour’s controversial decision to negotiate the return of the Chagos Islands—home to the strategic Diego Garcia military base—to Mauritius, a move the protesters decry as undemocratic and dangerous.
“We must stop Labour’s dreadful decision to give away the Chagos Islands,” one speaker said. “Not only did Labour mislead Parliament, but they never consulted the very people most affected—the Chagossians themselves. Let’s not forget, they want to remain British!”
The protesters also pointed to a recent exchange in the House of Lords, where Lord Kempsell had raised concerns about this very issue. When asked weeks ago whether the government was considering such a handover, Labour’s response was evasive, stating it was “premature to even speculate” about this scenario. The fact that Labour has now moved ahead without parliamentary debate or a clear mandate has stoked anger and frustration among islanders and their supporters.
Critics of the handover argue that the decision undermines Britain’s sovereignty, with many pointing out the strategic importance of the Diego Garcia military base, used in cooperation with the United States. Others accuse Labour of sacrificing the interests of a loyal British community for political expediency.
“It’s a disgrace that this government is treating us as pawns on a chessboard,” said one protester. “We are British, and we want to remain British. Starmer and his ministers need to stop playing games with our future.”
The protesters vowed to continue their fight, demanding that Parliament holds the government to account for bypassing both the democratic process and the rights of the Chagossian people.
With the rally adding fuel to an already contentious debate, it remains to be seen whether Labour will heed the calls for consultation—or press ahead with what many are calling a betrayal of British citizens.
Claire Bullivant
They should let the islanders have a vote on this it is their country. Not leave it to some crackpot with no sense