Chagos court battle set, as Sir Keir seeks to remove islanders from homeland
Former human rights lawyer Starmer now has international human rights organisation against him
Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2026, Credit: X.com
Government still hasn’t conceded defeat in one of its most unpopular actions, threatening defence
A major Court of Appeal hearing in less than 10 days’ time is set to become the latest chapter in the long-running legal battle over the future of the Chagos Islands and the rights of Chagossians to live on their ancestral homeland. In the latest development, Human Rights Watch has come down in favour of the Chagossians.
Interim First Minister of the Chagos Islands Government-in-Exile, Misley Mandarin
Mr Mandarin welcomed the development, saying:
“I am delighted that Human Rights Watch has decided to support our claims.
“For generations, Chagossians have fought for the right to return to our homeland. Many of our elders passed away without ever seeing these islands again.”
Between 15 and 17 July, judges will hear an appeal brought by the Government seeking to overturn earlier court decisions that allowed six Chagossians, including Interim First Minister of the Chagos Islands Government-in-Exile, Misley Mandarin, to remain living on islands within the archipelago. Facts4EU is pleased to share this with GB News, and we recommend reading their take on it very shortly here.
The case comes amid wider controversy surrounding the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Government's agreement to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, and ongoing debate over the rights of Chagossians who were removed from the territory during the 1960s and 1970s.
Human Rights Watch seeks to intervene
BREAKING NEWS
The court has now allowed Human Rights Watch to submit written evidence
This means Sir Keir Starmer, former human rights lawyer, will be in opposition to one of the leading human rights organisations in the World.
In a significant development ahead of the hearing, Human Rights Watch has applied to intervene in the case.
According to the claimants' legal team, the international human rights organisation intends to support arguments that the original judge's decision was correct and that changing circumstances should allow Chagossian resettlement to continue.
The intervention is likely to increase international attention on a case that has already attracted interest from campaigners, politicians and legal observers in both Britain and Mauritius.
Here’s Misley Mandarin again,
from the Chagos Islands at the weekend
“Today, some of us are finally living once more on the land of our ancestors. Yet despite this, the Labour Government is seeking to remove us through the courts.
“The support of Human Rights Watch sends a powerful message that this case is about more than legal arguments. It is about human rights, justice and the right of a people to live on their own homeland.”
Questions raised over earlier Chagos visit
The claimants' legal team has raised questions about a separate visit to the islands by campaigners supporting Mauritian sovereignty. This concerns a February 2022 expedition to Peros Banhos involving Mauritian campaigner Olivier Bancoult and international lawyer Philippe Sands KC, a good friend of Sir Keir Starmer for decades.
Footage published by The Guardian showed participants travelling to the islands, erecting a flagpole, singing the Mauritian national anthem and discussing the future of the territory.
The claimants are asking whether permits were issued for the visit, whether British authorities were aware of it, how officials treated the expedition and whether information relating to the trip was disclosed during ongoing litigation concerning Chagossian rights. There is also the question of whether the Chagossians were informed.
At the time the questions were raised, no public response had been issued by the Government.
© The Great British PAC
Great British PAC Support
The Great British PAC has backed both the litigation and wider campaign efforts relating to Chagossian rights.
Claire Bullivant, Chief Executive of the Great British PAC, told us:
“This is a hugely significant development.
“Human Rights Watch is one of the world's most respected human rights organisations. Its decision demonstrates the importance of this case and the principles at stake.
“At its heart, this case is about whether Chagossians themselves will have a voice in decisions about their homeland.”
Wider Chagos Dispute
The appeal hearing takes place against the backdrop of wider political and legal disputes over the future of the Chagos Islands.
Sir Keir Starmer's Government signed an agreement in May 2025 to transfer sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius - and to pay vast sums of taxpayers' money to Mauritius for the bizarre deal - while allowing the UK and United States to continue operating the strategically important Diego Garcia military base under a long-term lease arrangement.
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Sir Keir's first foreign adventure was attacked from the start
The proposed transfer has attracted significant political, legal and diplomatic opposition from politicians, defence experts, former military figures and many Chagossians, who argue that decisions about the future of the islands should not be made without the consent of the Chagossian people themselves.
Critics have also raised concerns about the potential strategic implications of relinquishing sovereignty over territory that hosts one of the most important UK-US military facilities in the world.
Speaking about the forthcoming appeal, Claire Bullivant of the Great British PAC, told us:
“The fundamental question remains the same. Why is the Labour Government so determined to remove Chagossians from islands their families once called home while refusing to answer legitimate questions about how others were treated when they visited the territory?
“For decades, Chagossians have fought to return to their homeland. Now, after finally securing a hard-won victory in court, the Government is once again seeking to remove them.
“If ministers are asking the courts to enforce rules against Chagossians, the public has a right to know whether those same rules were applied consistently in other cases. Transparency and equal treatment under the law are not optional; they are fundamental principles of justice.”
The agreement, yet to be implemented, was negotiated under Sir Keir Starmer's premiership, but the political landscape has since changed. The future handling of the deal now falls to his successor's administration. In addition, questions remain over the role of the United States. The treaty itself envisages continued UK-US defence operations on Diego Garcia, yet reports indicate that final US approval of this deal is highly unlikely to be granted.
A Significant Hearing
The Court of Appeal hearing is expected to be one of the most important stages yet in the continuing legal battle over the future of the Chagos Islands.
At its heart, the case will determine whether the six Chagossians currently living on the islands can remain there, while also touching on broader questions about resettlement, self-determination and the future of a community that has spent decades campaigning for recognition of its rights.
“Please Government, allow the Chagossians to return to their islands. Give up the idea of surrendering our crucial joint base with the US to Mauritius and giving them so much money. Do not break international law by tearing up our US/UK Treaty.”
- Lord Redwood, 07 July 2026, following his intervention in the Lords yesterday
Observations
There is no doubt that Claire Bullivant and her team at the Great British PAC, with Ben Habib as President, have been crucial in providing the logistical and financial support to the Chagossians, to help pay for the immense amount of legal work that has gone into countering the actions that have been taken by this government.
Here at Facts4EU, we played our part by bringing this issue to the attention of a great number of people from early last year - one of the very first to do so. We recommend reading two unique reports in particular which highlighted some of the murky goings on, when Sir Keir Starmer and his then Foreign Secretary David Lammy were first agreeing this deal. We have kept up the pressure ever since.
Whilst Claire and her team were putting in place practical assistance for the Chagossians, we looked at the national security and defence implications in more detail. These alone make the deal wholly inexplicable to any normal British person.
Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom by donating today. Thank you.
[ Sources: GB-PAC ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 07 July 2026
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