The UK government is set to finalize its long-debated deal to relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, following the lifting of a dramatic last-minute court injunction that temporarily delayed the agreement.
Ministers had been poised to proceed with the handover of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, but were halted by a high court ruling issued on Thursday. The injunction, granted by Mr Justice Goose, came in response to legal action launched by Bertrice Pompe, a British citizen born on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory.
Goose issued an order for “interim relief,” barring the UK government from taking “any conclusive or legally binding step” toward finalizing the transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The order added that the UK must not bind itself to the “particular terms of any such transfer.”
Pompe’s legal team, led by Philip Rule KC, argued that the delay in launching a broader challenge to the agreement was due to “problems with legal aid,” and said the injunction was urgently filed after press reports indicated the deal was imminent.
Despite the temporary block, the court later lifted the injunction, allowing the government to resume the final stages of negotiations with Mauritius. Under the terms of the deal, the UK will cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands while retaining control of Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease, enabling the continued operation of a joint US-UK military base on the strategically significant island.
Chagossians Protest Sovereignty Transfer Agreement
The planned agreement has drawn the ire of Chagossian advocacy groups, who say the deal further marginalizes islanders displaced from their homeland decades ago.
“Chagossians remain the victims of an outrageous human rights abuse and continue to fight for justice. By meeting with ministers [David] Lammy and [Stephen] Doughty in London today, and through a challenge to the deal with Mauritius in the courts, members of Chagossian Voices continue to fight for Chagossians’ human rights, for restorative justice, a right of return and self-determination.”
Chagossian Voices
While the Foreign Office insists the deal is a pragmatic move for UK security interests, controversy has mounted over the secrecy surrounding its financial terms. Reports suggest that the lease of Diego Garcia may cost British taxpayers up to £90 million annually — a figure not confirmed by officials. Critics within the Labour Party and Whitehall have questioned the timing and financial priorities of the deal, especially as the country faces severe budget constraints.
A government spokesperson maintained, “This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.” Still, concerns linger within Downing Street over the political optics of such a deal amid widespread public dissatisfaction with recent welfare cuts.
Ministers were reportedly wary of announcing the agreement alongside unpopular reductions to winter fuel payments and disability benefits, which some MPs believe contributed to Labour’s poor performance in the recent English local elections.
The issue took on new urgency following Labour leader Keir Starmer’s U-turn on winter fuel policy. Speaking in the House of Commons, he stated: “We want to ensure that as we go forward, more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments.” The shift came as the government sought to reframe its domestic agenda amid increasing pressure from voters and advocacy groups.
Compounding the political complexity of the Chagos decision was earlier uncertainty over US backing. The agreement had been in limbo before February, as officials feared opposition from President Donald Trump. Senior Republicans, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, had raised objections to Mauritius’s perceived closeness with China. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, claimed Trump would ultimately reject the proposal.
Those predictions did not come to pass. In a February meeting with Starmer at the White House, Trump gave the deal his blessing, saying he had “a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”
With the legal block now removed and both UK and US political leaders aligned, the path appears clear for the formal transfer of the Chagos Islands, though public outcry and legal challenges from Chagossians are unlikely to subside.
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