A UK High Court judge on Thursday lifted a temporary injunction blocking a landmark deal that will see Britain hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, clearing the way for its implementation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had been set to sign the agreement in a virtual ceremony with Mauritian officials earlier in the day but the last-minute court order halted proceedings.
Justice Chamberlain later ruled the injunction should be lifted, allowing the deal to move forward.
“The public interest and the interests of the United Kingdom would be substantially prejudiced by the grant or continuance of interim relief, and these matters provide a strong public interest reason against the continuance of interim relief,” the judge ruled.
The agreement, which has drawn sharp political debate, transfers sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius while allowing the UK and US to continue operating a strategic military base on Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years.
However, opposition politicians have condemned the deal, raising concerns over the financial cost and implications for military interests.
Mauritius has long contested the UK’s ownership of the Chagos Islands, arguing that Britain illegally acquired the territory in 1965 while Mauritius was still a colony.
The islands were purchased for £3 million but Mauritius claims the handover was coerced as a condition for gaining independence.
In the late 1960s, Britain invited the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia, displacing thousands of Chagossian residents in the process.
International pressure for Britain to return the islands has intensified in recent years, with both the UN’s top court and general assembly backing Mauritius’ sovereignty claim.
Formal negotiations on the transfer began in 2022 under the previous Conservative government but stalled before Labour took office in 2024.
JN/APA