Time to repay our debt to the Chagosians by respecting their democratic wishes, and giving them control over their future

When the Government brought forward legislation last year to implement a deal struck with Mauritius over the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory, more commonly known as the Chagos Islands, it was met, perhaps unsurprisingly, by a torrent of criticism and opposition. It sought to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, which had been British territory for two centuries, to Mauritius, which had never exercised jurisdiction over them and was more geographically distant than Eastern Europe was from the Isle of Wight. Moreover, it rewarded Mauritius with an extensive dowry, the exact quantum of which is disputed, but runs into many billions of pounds. Most shamefully, all this was done without giving Chagosians any say in determining their own future, or in even obtaining a guaranteed right to return.

While the Government had the Parliamentary numbers to pass the Bill, it stalled not because of Westminster opposition, but through withdrawal of support from Washington, who are integral to the future of any deal, through the joint military base at Diego Garcia. The Government remains officially committed to the deal and the Bill, and has not formally abandoned it, but at the same time failed to bring it to completion in the last Parliamentary session and did not commit to its reintroduction in the Kings Speech. This has left all of us, but particularly the Chagosians, in a state of limbo.

With this context, my Private Members Bill, British Sovereignty Protection (Chagos Islands) Bill seeks to end this uncertainty. It seeks to safeguard British sovereignty over the Islands, defend our vital military and security interests through our joint UK-US military base at Diego Garcia, and most importantly places the right of self de termination of the Chagosian people at the heart of any future decisions on the Islands.

It seeks to achieve these aims by making any attempt, both present and future, of transfer of sovereignty subject to a range of ironclad conditions, including the approval of Parliament, the approval of any representative government of the Chagos Islands, and above subject to a referendum of the Chagosian people themselves., as well as provisions ensuring that all relevant information is laid before Parliament. This is applicable not simply in the case of any proposed deal with Mauritius but covers any other jurisdiction.

The Bill also seeks to specifically protect our sovereignty and control over the vital Diego Garcia base, which was arguably the only virtuous motivation in the Government’s original Bill. and should act as a protection against encroachment by malign foreign powers. It places control of sovereignty under Parliament and the Chagosians, where it belongs, rather than at the whim of diktats by international bodies. Rulings by international organisations are often more politically than judicially motivated, and blind acceptance of them offers no future protection to potential rulings concerning Gibraltar or the Falkland Islands.

If there is one area of consensus, across the political divide, it is that we have treated Chagosians appallingly for decades, by Governments of different political compositions , most notably in their removal from the Islands in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite this, the desire of many, probably most, Chagosians is to remain British. We cannot change the past, but we can respect their wishes and provide genuine protection and support for the future.

When the previous deal was agreed, the Government gave them briefings and information, but only after a deal with Mauritius has been agreed and this falls far short of proper consultation, let alone self-determination. My draft Bill rectifies this by mandating the Government to have detailed discussions with Chagosians on a wide of issues relevant to the Islands and themselves, gives them a guaranteed residential right to return to their homeland, and above all gives them self-determination by enshrining a referendum on any constitutional or jurisdictional change.

It is time to repay our debt to the Chagosians by respecting their democratic wishes, and giving them real control over their future. It is time to put right a great wrong, once and for all.