Campaign · The Chagos Islands
Save the Chagos Islands — keep them British
The Government agreed to hand away British territory, pay billions to lease back our own military base, and never asked the people born there. We are fighting it in the courts, in Parliament and in public.
At a glance
- Never ratified
- The treaty was signed in May 2025. The Bill to put it into law fell in April 2026.
- £3.4bn
- The Government’s own valuation of the payments, in today’s money, to lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years.
- 99.2%
- of the 3,389 Chagossians who took part in a worldwide survey want the islands to remain British.
- 5 November
- The Court of Appeal decides whether the Chagossians’ Judicial Review can go ahead.
What is at stake
Our sovereignty
The Chagos Islands have been British for more than two centuries. The people born there are British citizens, and they want to stay British. A deal to give away their homeland without asking them is not a technical adjustment to Britain’s overseas holdings. It is a surrender of sovereignty.
Our security
Diego Garcia is home to one of the most important military bases in the world, run jointly with the United States. Under the deal, Britain would rent it back from Mauritius. The President of the United States has called the deal “terrible”.
The Chagossians
The islanders were removed from their homes between 1967 and 1973 to make way for the base. They have fought ever since for the right to go home and to decide their own future. They say they were never properly consulted about this deal, and whether the Government should have asked them is the question now before the courts.
Your money
The Government puts the cost at an average of £101 million a year for 99 years, paid to another country for the use of a base on what is today British territory.
Where things stand
Correct as of 5 October 2026
The deal has stalled. It has not been abandoned.
The treaty was signed in May 2025 but has never been ratified. In April 2026 the Government shelved the Bill needed to put it into effect, saying it would “only proceed with the deal if it has US support”, and the Bill fell when the parliamentary session ended on 29 April.
On 22 September 2026 President Trump told the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, that it was a “terrible deal”. The next day the Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, said the Government would work with Washington “to get the deal to a place where we can support it”, and that the annual payments to Mauritius would not be made “at this stage”.
In other words, ministers are not walking away. They are looking for a version of the deal they can bring back, and that is why the pressure, and the legal case, matter now.
In the courts, Chagossians are gaining ground. In March 2026 the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory ruled that the law denying anyone the right to live on the islands was “an unlawful and irrational exercise of the prerogative”, and quashed the orders to remove Chagossians who had returned to Île du Coin. The territory’s administration has appealed. On 5 November the Court of Appeal will reconsider whether the Chagossians’ Judicial Review of the Government’s failure to consult them can go ahead.
How we got here
The steps marked in red are ones the Great British PAC took, or that our supporters paid for.
1965
A new British territory
The Chagos Islands are separated from the colony of Mauritius, three years before Mauritian independence, to form the British Indian Ocean Territory.
1966–1973
A base is built and the islanders are removed
Britain and the United States agree to use the territory for defence. To make way for the base on Diego Garcia, the Chagossians are removed from their homes.
February 2019
An opinion, not a ruling
The International Court of Justice gives a non-binding advisory opinion that Britain should end its administration of the islands.
October 2024
The handover is announced
The Government announces that it will hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia.
22 May 2025
The treaty is signed
In the early hours a High Court judge grants an emergency injunction to stop the signing, on the application of a Chagossian. It is lifted later that morning, and the treaty is signed the same day.
October 2025 — a step the Great British PAC took
The Chagossians take the Government to court
Chagossians ask the High Court for permission to bring a Judicial Review of the Government’s failure to consult them about the future of their homeland.
November 2025 — a step the Great British PAC took
The Chagossians are asked
3,389 Chagossians around the world take part in a survey run with the Friends of the British Overseas Territories. 99.2% back self-determination and remaining British.
December 2025 — a step the Great British PAC took
A government-in-exile
In a worldwide vote, Chagossians choose by 1,233 to 108 to form a government-in-exile, and elect Misley Mandarin as Interim First Minister.
February 2026
Chagossians go home
Four British Chagossians land on Île du Coin, in the Peros Banhos atoll. When the territory orders their removal, its Chief Justice blocks it.
March 2026 — a step the Great British PAC took
Permission refused, and appealed
The High Court refuses permission for the Judicial Review. We did not accept that as the final word, and the claimants appealed.
31 March 2026 — a step the Great British PAC took
A landmark ruling
The Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory strikes down the law that said nobody had the right to live on the islands, and quashes the removal orders.
April 2026
The deal is shelved
Without American support, the Government shelves the Bill to implement the treaty, and it falls when Parliament is prorogued.
July 2026 — a step the Great British PAC took
The fight is back on
The Court of Appeal orders a fresh hearing to reconsider the refusal. Our supporters fund the preparation.
September 2026
“A terrible deal”
President Trump tells the new Prime Minister he does not support the deal. Ministers say they will work with Washington on a version they can support.
September 2026 — a step the Great British PAC took
A further £10,000
The Great British PAC commits a further £10,000 to the Judicial Review, for the next stage of the case.
5 November 2026 · Coming up
The Court of Appeal
The court decides whether the Judicial Review can go ahead.
“For generations, my people have fought for one simple principle: the right to decide our own future.”
“The Great British PAC has stood beside us from the beginning, helping us bring this case before the courts.”
What we have done
When others wrote the transfer off as a done deal, we built a campaign: legal action, Parliament, public pressure and the Chagossians’ own voice, all at once.
Taken it to court
We have helped fund the Chagossians’ legal challenges: the Judicial Review of the Government’s failure to consult them, and the case in the territory’s Supreme Court that overturned the ban on living on the islands.
Given the Chagossians a voice
We helped establish the Chagossian Government-in-Exile through a worldwide vote, and we continue to support its work.
Asked the people
We worked with the Friends of the British Overseas Territories on a survey of Chagossians worldwide. 99.2% of those who took part want the islands to remain British.
Taken it to Parliament
We have worked with members of both Houses, from across the parties, to table amendments, ask difficult questions and keep up the pressure inside Westminster.
Built a national campaign
Our petition passed 10,000 signatures in its first week, and our Email Warriors have written to MPs and ministers in their own words.
What comes next
5 November: the Court of Appeal
If the court grants permission, the Government’s failure to consult the Chagossians faces full legal scrutiny for the first time, and the case moves towards a hearing of three to four days in the High Court. That stage will need further funding.
A new version of the deal
Ministers say they are working with Washington on a deal they can support. If it comes back, it will need a new Bill, and we will be ready to oppose it in Parliament and in public.
The right to go home
The territory’s administration is appealing the ruling that lets Chagossians live on their islands. We will keep standing with them.
How you can help
Whatever you are able to give, there is a part for you in this.
Fund the legal fight
Our appeal funds the Chagossians’ Judicial Review as it returns to the Court of Appeal.
Where your money goes. Every pound raised through this appeal is ring-fenced exclusively for this Judicial Review — counsel's fees, legal submissions and evidence, court fees, and representation at the hearing. Any surplus beyond what's needed for this stage stays ring-fenced for the next stages of this case and related Chagos proceedings.
£6073.23
raised of £10000
267 supporters
Talk to us about a larger gift
If you are considering a significant gift, a regular commitment, or help of another kind, we would welcome a conversation in confidence. A member of our team will reply to you personally.
Become a member
Membership is what pays for fights like this one: the lawyers, the campaigning and the pressure in Westminster, month after month.
Add your voice
Sign the petition to halt the deal, or join our Email Warriors and write to the people making the decisions.
Sources for the facts on this page
- House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee — Overseas Territories report, 2008 (history of the territory)
- International Court of Justice — advisory opinion on the Chagos Archipelago, 2019
- UK Government — Joint statement between the UK and Mauritius, 3 October 2024
- Full Fact — How much is the UK spending on the Chagos deal?
- Friends of the British Overseas Territories — Chagossian survey, November 2025
- Friends of the British Overseas Territories — Chagossians announce Government-in-Exile, December 2025
- No5 Chambers — Injunction granted to prevent removal of Chagossians from their homeland, February 2026
- High Court — R (Pompe) v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2026] EWHC 529 (Admin), 10 March 2026
- Supreme Court of BIOT — R (Mandarin) v Commissioner for BIOT, judgment of 31 March 2026
- Keystone Law — BIOT Supreme Court quashes Removal Orders in landmark Chagossian victory, 31 March 2026
- Al Jazeera — UK to hold off on deal ceding Chagos Islands amid US opposition, 11 April 2026
- UK Parliament — Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
- Euronews — UK to review Chagos deal after Trump tells Burnham it is ‘terrible’, 23 September 2026
- Conservative Post — Great British PAC commits further £10,000 to Chagossians’ Judicial Review fight, 29 September 2026 (the November hearing date)
Where things stand and the timeline are correct as of 5 October 2026.