Chagossians Demand Recognition, Consultation, and Legal Justice Before UK Signs Away Their Homeland.
A landmark Judicial Review has been launched in the High Court of Justice by Louis Michel Mandarin and Louis Misley Mandarin, Chagossians and British citizens, to stop the UK Government from signing away sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius without first having a lawful consultation of the Chagossian people.
The case, backed by the Great British PAC and led by barrister James Tumbridge and KC Philip Rule, challenges the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs for excluding Chagossians from a process that directly impacts their land, identity, and future.
A Legal and Democratic Crisis
At the heart of the challenge lies a damning admission: in official correspondence from March 2025, the UK Government stated:
“There was no formal consultation in respect of the sovereignty negotiations, and nor was there any obligation to have one.”
Yet, under the Equality Act 2010 and long-established principles of administrative fairness, the Government is legally required to consult communities, especially recognised ethnic groups, where their rights and futures are directly affected.
The Government has already acknowledged that the Chagossians are “its own people.” This recognition, combined with their historic forced removal from the islands and continuing exclusion from decision-making, places the UK in clear breach of its own legal obligations.
Why This Matters Now
The claimants argue that any agreement behind closed doors—without input from the Chagossians—is not only unjust, but unlawful. The case cites failures under:
– The Public Sector Equality Duty (s.149 Equality Act 2010);
– The common law duty to consult (Sedley/Gunning principles);
– International law, including self-determination rights and protections under the European
Convention on Human Rights.
Furthermore, historic legal precedents—including R (Bancoult) [2001] QB 1067—have already held that the removal of an entire population from its homeland cannot be justified under colonial-era powers of governance.
“We are not Mauritian. We are Chagossian. The Government cannot lawfully decide our fate without us,” said claimant Louis Michel Mandarin, whose father is a co-claimant who was born on the Chagos Islands.
A Call to Suspend Any Deal
The Great British PAC is calling on the Government to immediately:
- Suspend the parliamentary process pending the outcome of this case;
- Consult the people before any ratification or agreement concerning Chagos sovereignty;
- Undertake full and lawful consultation with the Chagossian people;
- Recognise that any international treaty affecting a recognised ethnic group must meet standards of equality, consent and transparency.
The case is expected to be heard in July 2025. Until then, the claimants are urging Members of Parliament to resist pressure to ratify any sovereignty transfer, warning that doing so would compound decades of injustice—and expose the UK to fresh legal and moral scrutiny.
The cost of launching this vital Judicial Review has already been generously covered by The Great British PAC and its Chairman, Ben Habib. However, if you would like to help underwrite the claimants’ ongoing legal costs, please consider donating at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/savechagos
