A judge has temporarily blocked the removal of Chagos islanders who landed on the archipelago earlier this week, throwing Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to transfer the territory to Mauritius into further chaos. Justice James Lewis issued the injunction from an aircraft at around 25,000 feet on Thursday, halting an order that would have forced the islanders to leave.
The ruling adds to the prime minister’s growing difficulties over the Chagos Islands, after US President Donald Trump this week voiced opposition to the deal. Trump’s stance could veto the British plan, with sources close to his administration citing concerns that China and India may be negotiating for control of islands in the archipelago, and anger over the UK’s refusal to allow US strikes on Iran from RAF bases.
Four Chagos islanders, led by Misley Mandarin, the elected Chagossian first minister, landed on Île du Coin in the Peros Banhos atoll on Tuesday, declaring a permanent settlement. In a “Declaration of Return”, they stated: “We, the people of the Chagos Islands, stand today on the soil of our homeland. We are the advance party. Hundreds more are following. We have come home.”
They were served removal notices on Wednesday, but lawyer James Tumbridge successfully applied for an injunction. Justice Lewis ruled that the islanders posed no security threat to Diego Garcia, 120 miles away, and that deportation would cause them great difficulty in returning. The injunction lasts seven days, allowing the defendants to respond.
The islanders were removed between 1967 and 1973 for the Diego Garcia base, operated jointly by the UK and US. A Foreign Office spokesperson said entering the outer islands without a permit remains illegal and unsafe, but acknowledged the importance of the islands to the Chagossian community.
