Chagos Archipelago: UK to give up sovereignty of islands

       A group fighting to keep the Chagos Islands under British control have warned Sir Keir Starmer that his surrender plan is now “dead and buried” following Donald Trump’s election.

       The Conservative Friends of Overseas Territories, who are fighting to reverse the Labour government’s giveaway, also says that this week’s crushing defeat for the incumbent Mauritian government further makes Sir Keir’s deal “as good as dead”.

       They demand that the Government now “perform last rites” on its dreadful deal, as they write to President-elect Trump’s new top team to intervene and block its signing.

       The President of the group, Lord Blencathra, said this morning he has expressed voters’ concerns in a letter to the incoming US National Security advisor, Mike Waltz, and the man believed to be on course to be the next foreign secretary Marco Rubio.

       Lord Blencathra blasts: “Labour needs to read the room and ditch its disastrous surrender of the Chagos Islands given the results of elections in both Mauritius and the US. The Chagos deal is as good as dead.”

       READ MORE: Nigel Farage to raise Labour's disastrous Chagos Islands surrender with Trump

       Donald Trump may kill Sir Keir's surrender treaty (Image: Getty)

       “Labour now needs to perform the last rites and put it out of its sorry existence.”

       “If Labour ploughs on then it risks seriously damaging relations with our closest ally, the US, and incurring the wrath of the incoming administration that will impact a whole host of issues including defence, security and trade.

       “I have today written to the incoming US National Security Advisor and Marco Rubio, likely to be the next US Secretary of State, who have already both raised their concerns, urging them to make clear to Labour that the incoming US government does not support the surrender of the Chagos Islands.

       “Labour’s policy on Chagos has been a disaster from the start. It needs to ditch it and pronto.”

       The demand comes after a major rally in East London last night, where Chagos Islanders warned that pushing ahead with the deal will signal that Labour is willing to abandon any overseas UK territory when me with left-wing international pressure - including the Falkland Islands.

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       The islands include a key military base (Image: Getty)

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       Hundreds gathered in Hackney to call on the Government to not “suffocate our voice”.

       Avraham Ono, who was born on the Chagos Islands but now lives in Tottenham, branded the move a “disaster” given “the island never belonged to Mauritius”.

       “I don’t know why they did it in the first place. They never answer the question.”

       Reform UK chairman, Zia Yusuf, told the rally that Nigel Farage will be raising the handover with Donald Trump, giving many hope given the Reform UK leader “has the ear” of the incoming president.

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       Campaigners against the islands’ surrender were delivered a boost earlier this week, when Donald Trump appointed Mike Waltz as his new National Security Advisor.

       Mr Waltz, who will take up office in January, has previously opposed plans for the handover, writing to Joe Biden’s top team to oppose the deal.

       He said: “Should the UK cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum”.