UK government appeals Supreme Court ruling on Chagossians
The UK government has appealed a Supreme Court ruling that would allow Chagossians to return to their ancestral islands in the Chagos Archipelago.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The UK government has appealed a Supreme Court ruling that would allow Chagossians to return to their ancestral islands in the Chagos Archipelago. The government was back in the Court of Appeal on the day of this report, seeking to overturn the landmark decision that had found in favour of four Chagossians who landed on the remote atoll of Isle de Croix 150 days ago, vowing to establish a permanent settlement.
The Chagossians were forcibly removed from the islands by the UK government in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for a US military base on Diego Garcia. The current legal battle centres on the right of those displaced and their descendants to return. The self-styled First Minister of the Chagos Islands, Misley Mandarin, who is among the four on Isle de Croix, described the government's action as 'disgusting' and accused the Labour government of using taxpayer money to remove British overseas territory citizens from their homeland.
Mandarin, speaking from the island, said the group is living in basic conditions, relying on solar power, a petrol generator, and fishing for food. He stressed that their settlement is about 130 miles from the Diego Garcia base and that they have no intention of interfering with national security. He also criticised the government's argument that resettling Chagossians would be too costly, pointing to a reported deal worth 35 billion pounds with Mauritius as a contrast.
The government's appeal has drawn criticism from some quarters, with questions raised about why the Labour Party is not supporting the Chagossians' right to return. The former chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Lord Cryer, was asked about this during the broadcast but his response was cut short. The future of the Chagossian people and their right to remain on their ancestral homeland now hangs in the balance as the legal process continues.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| Chagossians were removed by the UK government in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for the Diego Garcia base. | |
| Four Chagossians landed on Isle de Croix 150 days ago and established a permanent settlement. | |
| UK government appealed a Supreme Court ruling that would allow Chagossians to return to their ancestral islands. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News focused heavily on the human interest angle, giving extensive airtime to an interview with Misley Mandarin, the self-styled First Minister of the Chagos Islands, who is living on Isle de Croix. The tone was sympathetic to the Chagossians and critical of the Labour government, framing the legal battle as a 'David and Goliath' struggle. The channel also highlighted the apparent hypocrisy of the government spending money on legal fees while negotiating a large deal with Mauritius.
- “it's really appalling to see your taxpayer money and your viewers as well. Tax money being used against British overseas territory citizens to remove them from their homeland.”
- “we're gonna fight to the end.”
- “the government argument saying that to recital the Chagossian on British territorial citizens is about costs.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.