UK one step closer to Chagos deal after new court victory

The UK government has won a procedural court victory that may help it advance its plan to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The BIOT Court of Appeal ruled that a lower court there could not decide whether Chagossians have a right of abode, leaving that question to the Court of Appeal in England.

The ruling does not settle the islanders’ claim, and legal proceedings are expected to continue in London next year, with a possible appeal to the Privy Council. Chagossians were removed from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s; some have since reoccupied an island to protest the deal. Agreed in 2024, the arrangement would transfer the islands to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia’s airbase back to the UK for £30bn, but it has faced delays after Donald Trump withdrew his support.