10 disturbing MUST READS about the undemocratic aspects of the Chagos Islands sovereignty issue

1. A Referendum has never been organised for Chagossians or British voters on this issue

2. The UK Labour Government did not mention handing sovereignty over to Mauritius in their political party’s 2024 Election Manifesto

3. The UK Government never asked all the Chagossians and their representatives if they supported the deal before swiftly agreeing it with Mauritius

4. Some Chagossian groups around the world support the deal and several thousand Chagossians in Britain, France, Switzerland, Seychelles and Mauritius do not: however all support the right to resettle and to have a say in the running of the islands which are not mentioned in the treaty

5. Current amendments by the unelected House of Lords to slow down the House of Commons’ debate on proposed legislation is not democratic; allowing MPs, our elected representatives, to debate and vote on an elected government’s proposed treaty law on sovereignty is

6. Asking British Judges to rule on these issues undermines a democratic process already weakened by the Government’s use of Royal Prerogative power to agree a foreign treaty before asking parliament

7. Whether President Trump supports the deal or not, there is an absence in discussions of a democratic and fairer solution for the Chagossian people

8. British Chagossians, banned from returning to their homeland, are not guaranteed a right to housing in the UK either

9. The UK Government supports the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which gave a 2019 advisory ruling that Britain should hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius - even though the ICJ never heard from dissenting British Chagossians

10. If the United Nations is asked to make decisions about sovereignty without the Chagossian people being asked democratically what they want, what future for democracy for us all?

THE CHAGOS FILES TEAM/2 Feb 2026