UK Government Blocked from Finalizing Chagos Islands Deal by High Court Injunction
By Kate Whannel, Political Reporter
Last-Minute Legal Intervention Halts Sovereignty Transfer
The UK government has been temporarily blocked from concluding negotiations on the controversial Chagos Islands deal after a High Court judge issued a last-minute injunction.
At 02:25 BST, Mr Justice Goose granted “interim relief” to two Chagossian women who filed a case against the Foreign Office. This unexpected legal intervention came just hours before Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was scheduled to attend a virtual signing ceremony with Mauritian government representatives.
The proposed agreement would have transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while allowing the UK and US to maintain their military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years.
Billions at Stake in Controversial Deal
While the exact financial terms remain undisclosed, experts estimate the deal could cost British taxpayers billions of pounds. A government spokesperson stated: “We do not comment on ongoing legal cases. This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.”
The legal challenge was brought by Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, two Chagossian women seeking the right to return to their homeland. Their lawyer Michael Polak criticized the government’s approach, saying: “They remain the people with the closest connection to the islands, but their needs and wishes are being ignored.”
Chagossians Express Outrage
Jemmy Simon of the Chagossian Voices group described feeling “beyond horrified and angry” after meeting with Foreign Office officials. Mylene Augustin, whose father was born on Diego Garcia, welcomed the court’s decision: “We need to have our self-determination… We need to have our rights.”
The Chagos Archipelago’s complex history dates back to 1965 when Britain separated the islands from Mauritius, then still a colony. The UK later forcibly removed thousands of indigenous inhabitants to make way for a US military base.
International Pressure and Political Fallout
The UK has faced mounting international pressure to return the islands, with both the UN’s International Court of Justice and General Assembly supporting Mauritius’s sovereignty claims.
Opposition politicians have criticized the proposed deal, with Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel calling it a “humiliation” and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage questioning the potential £52 billion cost and implications for UK-China relations.
The High Court hearing continues as the government seeks to overturn the injunction and proceed with the controversial sovereignty transfer.