Legal Challenge Launches Against Starmer's Chagos Islands Transfer Plan

Sir Keir Starmer's proposal to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is now facing a significant legal challenge from the campaign group Save the Chagos, which is backed by several Conservative peers. They have issued a pre-action legal letter to the Foreign Office seeking a judicial review, arguing that the government does not possess the prerogative power to cede British territory and that the deal's estimated £8.9 billion expenditure is unlawful. The critics assert that the legislation supporting the deal is based on a flawed understanding of international law and that the Chagossians have been excluded from discussions regarding their future. Legal experts have indicated that while the challenge is unprecedented, there is a longstanding convention against courts intervening in foreign policy decisions. The government claims the deal is necessary to resolve legal uncertainties following international rulings favoring Mauritius' sovereignty. However, concerns have been raised about the implications of transferring sovereignty and the costs involved, with detractors labeling the deal a betrayal of both the British public and the Chagossian people.