The battle to become Labour’s next leader and Britain’s next Prime Minister could have significant implications for one of the most controversial foreign policy decisions in recent British history.
Misley Mandarin, Interim First Minister of the Chagos Islands Government-in-Exile, has written directly to Andy Burnham and Al Carns calling on them to reveal where they stand on Sir Keir Starmer’s proposed transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The letters come as Labour prepares to choose a successor to Sir Keir Starmer following his resignation. Under Labour’s leadership rules, MPs must first nominate candidates before the party membership and affiliated supporters vote to elect a new leader. Because Labour currently commands a majority in the House of Commons, the successful candidate would also become Prime Minister without a general election.
For campaigners opposed to the Chagos agreement, the contest presents an opportunity to influence whoever ultimately occupies Number 10.
Writing from Ile du Coin in the Chagos Islands, where he is currently living alongside five other Chagossians, including his father who was born on the islands before the community’s removal decades ago, Mr Mandarin appealed directly to both politicians to reconsider the Government’s position.
In his letter to Andy Burnham, Mr Mandarin wrote:
“As Britain enters a new political chapter, this issue presents an opportunity for fresh thinking and principled leadership.”
He argued that the proposed agreement raised “fundamental questions about self-determination, national security and the responsible use of public money” and urged any future government to review the policy.
He also questioned whether Britain should surrender sovereignty over territory hosting “one of the most important military facilities on Earth” while committing taxpayers to decades of lease payments.
The Chagossian leader reminded Mr Burnham that the people most affected had never been asked whether they wished to cease being British.
“The Chagossian people have never been given a referendum. We have never been given a meaningful vote,” he wrote.
Mr Mandarin made a similar appeal to Al Carns, the former Royal Marine and former Armed Forces Minister, whose recent public comments have focused heavily on national resilience, defence and strategic government.
Addressing Mr Carns directly, he wrote:
“As a former Royal Marine and former Minister for the Armed Forces, few people are better placed than you to understand the strategic importance of the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia.”
He challenged Mr Carns to explain how “paying billions of pounds to surrender sovereignty over British territory” could strengthen Britain’s national resilience or represent good value for taxpayers.
The letters also stress that the Chagossian community supports the continued presence of British and American forces on Diego Garcia and argues there is no conflict between maintaining the military base and respecting the rights of the Chagossian people.
Mr Mandarin writes that “a British Chagos, a secure Diego Garcia and a resettled Chagossian community would be a success story for Britain, for the United States and for the Chagossian people.”
Throughout both letters runs a consistent theme: that any lasting settlement should be based on self-determination.
“The solution is simple,” Mr Mandarin concludes.
“Ask the Chagossians. Let us vote. Let us decide.”
The intervention comes as the Great British PAC, which has played a prominent role in opposing the Chagos agreement through campaigning and support for legal challenges, also seeks clarification from Labour leadership contenders.
Claire Bullivant, the PAC’s Chief Executive, has written separately to both Mr Burnham and Mr Carns asking them to set out their positions on the proposed transfer, the future of Diego Garcia, the cost to British taxpayers and whether the Chagossian people should be given a referendum before any change in sovereignty.
Campaigners believe the issue could become an early test of how prospective Labour leaders intend to distinguish themselves from Sir Keir Starmer’s administration.
The proposed agreement has been criticised by opponents on a number of grounds, including its projected long-term cost, its implications for British sovereignty, national security and the absence of a referendum among the Chagossian people. Supporters of the agreement, meanwhile, argue it is intended to resolve the long-running sovereignty dispute while securing the continued operation of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
With Labour preparing to choose a new leader, campaigners hope the contest will prompt candidates to explain publicly whether they would continue with the existing policy or pursue a different course.
For Mr Mandarin, writing from the islands his family once called home, the question is a simple one.
If Britain’s next Prime Minister is going to decide the future of the Chagos Islands, he believes the British public, and the Chagossian people themselves, deserve to know where each candidate stands before that decision is made.
First Minister Misley Mandarin’s letter to Andy Burnham in full:
