Author Archives: Peter Harris

The agreement between Britain and Mauritius over control of the Chagos Islands has become one of the most controversial topics of this Parliament. This is a sorry reflection on the state of UK politics. In more normal times, the Chagos deal would be viewed as a diplomatic success story – an example of two states working together to uphold the rules-based international order for the benefit of all concerned.

But these are not normal times. Ever since the government of Liz Truss announced in November 2022 (with the backing of the Biden administration) that it was opening negotiations with Mauritius, critics have scoffed at the idea of “surrendering” the islands to a foreign power. In recent weeks, the accusations of treachery have reached a fever pitch – stoked in no small part by Donald Trump and his friends on the hard right of UK politics.

The Liberal Democrats have a critical role to play in ensuring that the Chagos agreement goes through. The legislation needed to implement the treaty, the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill, is currently in its final stage of the legislative process. Having cleared its third reading in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, all that remains is for MPs and peers to iron out the final text of the legislation so that it can receive royal assent.

In the Lords, however, the Labour Party cannot do things alone. It depends upon the cooperation of others. The purpose of this blog post is to ask the Liberal Democrats to offer such cooperation at this all-important juncture.

I have studied the Chagos Islands for 18 years. From my perspective, the rights of the indigenous Chagossians have always been the most important dimension of the Chagos dispute. Having lobbied many of your elected representatives and peers over the past two decades, I know that the Liberal Democrats feel the same way. Why, then, do I support the Anglo-Mauritian agreement when so many Chagossians seem to oppose it?

The key thing to remember is that the Chagossian community is divided on the issue of sovereignty. This should not be surprising given that the Chagossians and their descendants number in the thousands and are spread across several countries. They have conflicting interests, identities, and ideas about their homeland – just like any other large group of people.