Keir Starmer could be forced to break silence on Chagos 'surrender' under bombshell new Bill
Sir Keir Starmer could be forced to break his silence on the Chagos Islands "surrender" deal under a bombshell new Bill.
A Private Member's Bill will be introduced to Parliament today which will seek to stop Labour resurrecting the agreement to hand sovereignty of the archipelago over to Mauritius.
The fresh legislation, shared with GB News by think tank Brexit Facts4EU, comes after the Government's proposed deal was handed a series of crippling blows.
In March, the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory quashed removal orders against Chagossians - striking down a constitutional ban which blocked them from living in their own homeland.
The landmark ruling came just weeks after President Donald Trump withdrew his backing for the agreement, blasting it as a "an act of great stupidity" - forcing Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty to admit it had become "impossible to agree".
Following the setbacks, No10 has avoided publicly discussing the agreement - which was omitted from the King's Speech.
But now, the DUP's Lord Weir, sponsoring the new British Sovereignty Protection (Chagos Islands) Bill, has vowed to "end that uncertainty".
Speaking to GB News on the eve of the Bill's presentation to Parliament, the peer branded Labour's previous Chagos legislation “a shameful attempt to implement a shoddy deal done with Mauritius".
He told the People's Channel: “It aimed to hand over territory which has been British for over two centuries, and not even give it away but worse than that, hands it over with an expensive present to Mauritius stretching into many billions of pounds.
"Most appallingly of all it purported to do so over the heads of the Chagossians themselves, without even a guaranteed right of return.
“Wider world circumstances forced the Government to pull the Bill, and it is welcome that it is missing from the King’s Speech.
"But they have not abandoned it entirely, and this leaves the Chagosians in the worst of all worlds."
THE CHAGOS 'SURRENDER' - READ MORE:
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- Minister admits Chagos deal ‘impossible to agree’ after Donald Trump pulls support
The DUP peer said his legislation “restores British sovereignty over the islands as well as the Diego Garcia military base".
"It prevents any future transfer of sovereignty unless there is the explicit consent of Parliament, any Chagossian Government and above all the Chagossians themselves as expressed through a referendum," he added.
Under the Bill, a three-stage sovereignty protection on the transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory will be established.
It will force any deal made to hand over the archipelago to need the backing of the Chagossians themselves, giving the native population a say on any possible resettlement.
Crucially, the legislation would compel Labour to report to Parliament on the progress of any talks and resettlement.
It also forces ministers to protect the Exclusive Economic Zone from illegal fishing and the biodiversity within the archipelago.
Alongside Lord Weir, veteran Tory MP Sir John Hayes hailed the "hard work" of the island territory's native people, "who fiercely oppose the attempt to impose upon them a treaty that was unwarranted and unwelcome".
He told GB News: "The Government have paused their plans to sideline the Chagossians’ rightful entitlement to determine their own future, but they have not abandoned them, which is why Lord Weir’s Bill is so important and has my unequivocal and enthusiastic support."
A number of Chagossians living in Britain will be present at Westminster Hall on Friday to make their voices heard as parliamentarians are presented the Bill.
The leigslation's authors told GB News it "puts down a marker" to the Prime Minister that the attempt to hand over the territory without the consent of its people will not be forgotten.
They said: “This Bill has support across parties. One thing is certain - Sir Keir will no longer be able to dodge the Chagos question.”
Speaking to the People's Channel from the Chagos Islands, the territory's First Minister Misley Mandarin said: “In 2026, no Government should be transferring a people from one sovereignty to another without their consent.
"The Chagossian people deserve a vote, they deserve a voice, and they deserve the right to determine their own future."
GB News has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
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