The Chagossians get their day in court — if we can fund it

We were told no. We appealed. The fight is back on.

Earlier this year, the courts refused permission for the Chagossians' Judicial Review against the Government's Chagos deal. We didn't accept that as the final word. We appealed.

This week, we had some good news. The Court of Appeal has now ordered a fresh hearing to reconsider that refusal. The fight is back on.

This is a genuine legal breakthrough. The case that many thought was over is alive again — and for the first time, Ministers could be required to defend their failure to consult the Chagossians before the English courts. But we have a narrow window to prepare, and we need your help to fund it.

The ask: £10,000, urgently

Our legal team estimates £10,000–£20,000 to prepare for and attend this Court of Appeal hearing. We need the first £10,000 now to instruct counsel and begin preparation.

We are in advanced discussions with a supporter about matching the first £10,000 raised, which would double the impact of every donation. We'll confirm this the moment it's finalised.

If we don't raise this in time, this stage of the case cannot go ahead as planned. The opportunity the Court of Appeal has just given the Chagossian people would close.

Why this hearing matters

This isn't a procedural footnote — it's the gateway to the full case.

During the recent BIOT Court of Appeal proceedings, the Government itself argued that questions about the legality of the Chagos laws that deny the right to abode (a right to be on the islands) belong before the courts of England and Wales. The Government must be ordered to consult the people — this is our chance to make that happen.

If permission is granted here, the Government's failure to consult before doing deals about the islands faces detailed legal scrutiny for the first time — and the case moves toward a full three-to-four-day Judicial Review at the High Court. That next stage will need further funding. But first, we have to win the right to get there. One step at a time. This is the step in front of us now.

What the Judicial Review asks

This case puts hard questions to the Government, including whether:

- The Chagossian people were properly consulted before decisions about their homeland were made
- Ministers acted lawfully throughout the negotiations
- The interests and rights of the Chagossian people were properly considered
- The Government's decision-making met the standards required by public law

These are questions a Government should have to answer in open court — not avoid through a procedural refusal.

Please note: this is a different case

Many of you will have been following the separate legal fight defending Chagossians currently living on the outer islands — including the injunction that was won that has, so far, allowed them to remain. The Government recently returned to court to try to remove them, and we're still awaiting that judgment.

This fundraising round is for the original Judicial Review — the one challenging the Government's failure to consult the people about their plans for Chagos, which could mean the court finds the Government's conduct unlawful.

The two cases work together: one protects the Chagossians on the islands today; the other challenges the legality of not consulting them on their homeland's future. Together, they put the Labour Government's actions under scrutiny from every angle.

The Chagossian people have said clearly what they want

They want the right to decide their own future. They want self-determination. They want to remain British.

The Court of Appeal has just given them another chance to be heard. Please don't let it slip away for lack of funding. Whatever you can give — £10, £25, £50, £100 or more — brings this hearing closer to happening.

Thank you.