CP
The Labour Government is facing growing international and domestic criticism after Chagossian human rights groups filed a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC), directly accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer and senior ministers of crimes against humanity.
The communication, lodged under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, names Starmer and three other officials as responsible for the continued displacement of the Chagossian people.
It alleges that by negotiating and endorsing the UK–Mauritius treaty on the Chagos Islands, the Labour Government has deliberately locked in the permanent exile of the indigenous population, an act that campaigners say amounts to an “ongoing crime.”
Allegations of “Irreversible Harm”
The complaint cites forcible deportation, persecution, and inhumane treatment, describing the treaty as “a weapon” against the Chagossians. Human rights groups argue that the government knew Mauritius would not allow the exiled community to return, effectively cementing Britain’s historic expulsion policy from the 1960s and 1970s.
Reports from Mauritius suggest that since October many Chagossians have fled with only “the clothes on their backs.” Councils in Hillingdon and Crawley, key entry points for asylees, have struggled to cope, with some arrivals reportedly forced to sleep rough. Critics say ministers were fully aware of these mass departures yet allowed them to proceed as collateral damage of foreign policy.
“The government’s actions represent not only a betrayal of the Chagossians but the continuation of state policy that strips them of their rights,” one organiser said.
At a UN session in Geneva in July, Mauritian representatives went so far as to deny that the Chagossians were an indigenous people, a move opponents say the UK enabled by its silence.
Starmer Accused of Abandoning Human Rights Principles
The case has added personal embarrassment for Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, with campaigners calling his role “a total moral and strategic failure.” Comparisons have been drawn to Britain’s most controversial foreign policy decisions since the Iraq War.
Bertrice Pompe, a Chagossian organiser, said:
“We are pleading with all those who have the power to make a difference to please step in and stop these crimes against humanity. We are the indigenous of the Chagos Islands, we bear their name, and we need our voices to be heard.”
Security Leaders Warn of “Strategic Self-Harm”
In parallel, a cross-party coalition of more than 40 MPs, peers, and former ministers has appealed directly to former U.S. President Donald J. Trump to intervene. They warn that Labour’s plan to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius endangers the U.S. military base at Diego Garcia, a cornerstone of Western power projection in the Indian Ocean.
The signatories, in the letter organised by the Great British PAC, argue that transferring the islands to Mauritius, a state bound by the Pelindaba Treaty, which bans nuclear weapons in Africa, risks undermining U.S. nuclear and naval operations. They say the move creates “dangerous legal ambiguity” that China, Russia, or international bodies could exploit.
The letter, signed by senior Conservatives including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Suella Braverman, and Grant Shapps, accuses the government of “deliberate strategic self-harm.”
Claire Bullivant, organiser of the letter, said:
“If this deal goes through, it will not only weaken Britain but also gravely undermine America’s ability to defend the free world from adversaries. Diego Garcia is too strategically important to be put at risk. President Trump is our hope in stopping this dangerous surrender.”
Critics Decry Rushed Legislation
Security leaders accuse ministers of rushing the timetable to force the deal through before opposition can gain momentum.
Campaigners say the combination of human rights violations and reckless security policy could leave Labour with one of the gravest foreign policy legacies in decades.
This article (Labour Government Under Fire as Chagossians File Crimes Against Humanity Complaint at ICC) was created and published by Conservative Post and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author CP
See Related Article Below
Labour’s Chagos Lie Exposed: UNCLOS Exemption Shows Starmer’s Excuse Is False
CP
Labour’s justification for giving away the Chagos Islands has been torn to shreds in Parliament, after ministers admitted their much-cited “legal threat” was based on a treaty clause that the UK is explicitly exempt from.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard incorrectly told MPs on Monday that the Government had no choice but to pursue the £35 billion giveaway with Mauritius, claiming the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) left Britain vulnerable to “binding rulings” that could interfere with national security.
He warned of possible legal proceedings “within weeks” that might restrict access to Diego Garcia and even compromise the UK’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum.
But this excuse has been exposed as absolutely baseless. Under Article 298 of UNCLOS, the UK, like many other states, has long held a sovereign exemption from disputes concerning military activities. This exemption, written in black and white, means that arbitration panels simply cannot compel Britain to hand over control of military operations, including access to and defence of Diego Garcia.
Even more damning, the exemption gives countries themselves wide discretion to define what counts as “military activity.” The United States has insisted this determination is not subject to external review, and Britain has the same protection. Labour therefore cannot credibly claim that UNCLOS posed a real threat to the UK base.
While some tribunals have tried to narrow the scope of the military exemption in unrelated cases, these are legal outliers, and none overturn the fundamental safeguard Britain already enjoys. Experts note the only crack in this armour came from a recent ITLOS ruling in the Ukraine–Russia dispute, which has no bearing on Chagos.
Yet Labour chose to peddle the myth of a looming legal disaster. Tory MPs were quick to pounce. Former Defence Minister Mark Francois declared:
“Today, the Government’s legal case collapsed under close scrutiny. They finally revealed that the so-called ‘legal threat’ is based on UNCLOS — from which we in Britain already have a clear opt-out for disputes concerning military activities. The whole case is a sham, as Parliament has today discovered.”
The embarrassment is compounded by Labour’s own previous admissions that rulings of the International Telecommunication Union cannot interfere with the UK’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum, flatly contradicting Pollard’s claims.
The result is a picture of a government clutching at straws, trying to justify an extraordinary surrender of sovereign territory with a legal argument that doesn’t withstand even basic scrutiny. MPs and campaigners are now demanding answers: if not UNCLOS, what was the “grave threat” Labour has repeatedly refused to specify?
The suspicion in Westminster is growing that there never was one.
Keir Starmer has questions to answer.
This article (Labour Government Under Fire as Chagossians File Crimes Against Humanity Complaint at ICC) was created and published by Conservative Post and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author CP
Featured image: The Telegraph
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