Chagossians handed Lords veto to block Mauritius islands handover

Chagossians could be handed a veto to stop the islands being handed to Mauritius after peers passed a Bill this lunchtime that would lock any sovereignty transfer behind their own consent.

The British Sovereignty Protection (Chagos Islands) Bill cleared its second reading stage in the House of Lords without a vote. The private member’s measure, sponsored by DUP peer Lord Weir, would mean sovereignty transfers require a referendum of Chagossians, approval by the islands’ own elected government, and an Act of Parliament before any deal could proceed.

It now moves to committee stage. Without Government support its chances of becoming law remain low, yet the text itself is plain: no handover without the people who were removed from the archipelago having the final say.

Four Chagossians settled on the islands earlier this year to protest at the Government’s plans. The Chagossian diaspora is thought to be overwhelmingly against the transfer. Some celebrated the Bill’s progress in Westminster Hall today.

Britain should decide its own territory and listen first to the islanders it displaced, not rush a giveaway that leaves a vital base hanging on foreign goodwill and open-ended cost. A smaller state that keeps what it holds does not need lectures from international courts or hurried signatures that later need rewriting.

The underlying 2025 deal struck under Keir Starmer would hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia back for 99 years. Cost estimates have ranged from £3.4 billion to £35 billion. The arrangement was paused after US President Donald Trump called it terrible. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said it must be revised and lacks American support. Andy Burnham is reviewing it amid continued pressure from Mauritius and legal risks tied to the International Court of Justice.

Speaking before the vote, a Foreign Office spokesman told GB News: “Securing the long-term operation of Diego Garcia remains a top priority for the Government, and protecting the base is the very reason for the agreement with Mauritius. We will continue to work with the US and Mauritius to find a way forward that is in the UK’s best interests and protects our national security.”

What the Bill demands next

The measure would force any future transfer or lease through a Chagossian referendum and the approval of an elected British Indian Ocean Territory government. That sequence is the opposite of a quiet handover. Christopher Hope reported the development on X as the Bill cleared the Lords this lunchtime.

Labour’s original path offered Mauritius the title deeds and Britain a long lease at a price still disputed. The Bill inserts the displaced community between the Government and that outcome. Whether ministers now back the text or let it stall will show how far they are prepared to go to keep the base secure without surrendering the islands first.

Peers have put the veto on the table. The committee stage will test if the Government will allow it to live or quietly bury a route that puts Chagossians, not foreign capitals, in charge of the next step.

BREAKING
Chagossians could be handed a veto to stop the islands being handed to Mauritius under a Bill passed by peers this lunchtime.
The British Sovereignty Protection (Chagos Islands) Bill – which cleared the second reading stage in the House of Lords today – would give…

— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) October 23, 2026

Original source: Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope)

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