Written by Lisa Murimi
The UK government has been temporarily blocked from finalising its controversial Chagos Islands deal after a High Court judge issued a last-minute injunction early Thursday morning.
At 02:25 BST, Mr Justice Goose granted “interim relief” to two Chagossian women, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrie Pompe, who launched legal action against the Foreign Office.
The ruling prevents Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer from concluding the agreement with Mauritius, just hours before a planned virtual signing ceremony.
The deal, which would transfer sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius while allowing the UK and US to operate the military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years, has sparked both domestic and international controversy.
The judge ordered that the UK “take no conclusive or legally binding step” regarding the transfer until further hearings. The court will reconvene at 10:30 on Thursday to review the case.
“The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer.”
“The defendant is to maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order.”
The claimants argue the government failed to consult the Chagossian people—the original inhabitants forcibly removed in the 1960s to make way for the US base.
Their lawyer, Michael Polak, criticised the process as a continuation of historical injustices.
“The government’s attempt to give away the Chagossians’ homeland whilst failing to hold a formal consultation with the Chagossian people is a continuation of their terrible treatment by the authorities in the past.
“They remain the people with the closest connection to the islands, but their needs and wishes are being ignored.”
The Foreign Office declined to comment on the legal proceedings but maintained the deal is vital for national security.
The injunction casts new uncertainty over a deal already under fierce political scrutiny, with opposition leaders calling it reckless and costly.
