Statement on President Trump's Chagos Islands intervention

Friends of the British Overseas Territories welcomes President Trump’s intervention on the proposed Chagos Islands deal, an intervention which has brought renewed clarity to the serious legal, democratic, and strategic flaws at the heart of the UK Government’s current approach.

The proposed legislation fails to meet the most basic standards of self-determination. It proceeds without meaningful consultation with the Chagossian people, despite decades of settled international precedent requiring their democratic consent. Recent developments, including the formation of a Chagossian government-in-exile and calls from the United Nations for meaningful Chagossian participation, further underline that this deal lacks legitimacy and cannot credibly claim to reflect the will of those most affected.

Beyond its democratic deficiencies, the deal poses clear risks to the United Kingdom’s strategic and national security interests. The future of the Diego Garcia base cannot responsibly be entrusted to non-binding assurances from Mauritius, particularly in a region of growing geopolitical competition. Weakening the UK’s strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific would be an act of serious irresponsibility.

The proposed settlement also threatens the long-term environmental stewardship of the British Indian Ocean Territory, one of the most biodiverse marine environments in the world, by replacing robust protections with a significantly weaker regime.

President Trump’s veto has created a decisive moment for the United Kingdom. The Government must now withdraw this Bill and pursue a settlement rooted in sovereignty, security, environmental protection, and genuine self-determination. To ignore this intervention would be to persist in a flawed course that risks Britain’s strategic interests, international standing, and moral authority.