WATCH: Border Force officials storm ship bringing vital supplies to Chagos

Marcus Donaldson
Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:54:53 +0000

British Border officials have intercepted and boarded a ship bound for Chagos stocked with supplies for the islanders.

Former Conservative MP Adam Holloway, who was leading the mission, shared footage of the moment officers took over the vessel and searched the items onboard.

Sharing the clip, Mr Holloway wrote: “Boarding party of police and customs officers, presumably flown out from the UK, board our resupply.

“We're only trying to supply British passport holders on a British island, with a legal right to be there.

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“I wish they made this much effort in the English Channel,” the former MP added.

In Mr Holloway’s footage, officers in British uniforms could be seen rifling through goods on the ship and speaking to those on board.

“If they're going to be this difficult towards our philanthropic efforts, maybe it’s time for the government to take responsibility to resupply?

“After all, the islanders now have legal rights to be here, and it was our government that committed the crime against humanity 60 years ago,” he wrote.

Accompanying the post was a picture of a handwritten manifest listing items such as an emergency solar water maker, mosquito nets, bedding, mobile phones, sunglasses, and clothing.

The former Tory turned Reform member, who was not permitted to be on the ship, also shared an image of the “fast emergency boat” that had been barred from being handed over to the Chagossians, which he said would “give a chance of medical assistance”.

“The Government did not allow us to deliver & restricted med supplies (although allowed a doctor to give trauma training).

Mr Holloway added: “Denied ability to evacuate themselves, perhaps the Government needs to take responsibility for medical evacuation?”

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The former MP launched the resupply quest after four Chagossians staged a dramatic return to the Archipelago in April.

It is the first bid to reestablish a permanent settlement on the territory since the islanders' expulsion in the 1970s, in defiance of British restrictions.

The Government has condemned the move as unlawful and sought to remove the group, though judges have intervened to halt deportations, exposing a deepening legal and diplomatic impasse.

Their attempt to resettle the islands is a bid to derail efforts to hand sovereignty over Chagos to Mauritius.

It comes as the Chagos Islands deal after the bill to cede sovereignty to Mauritius was removed from next month's King's Speech.

The legislation underpinning the transfer of the islands from British control will be omitted from the declaration after President Donald Trump publicly slammed the deal as "an act of great stupidity".

While Downing Street maintains its commitment to the agreement and intends to seek a change of heart from the US President, officials have conceded that proceeding without Washington's endorsement is impossible.

Under the proposed arrangement, Britain would have ceded sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius while simultaneously securing a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia base, which has played a role during the Iran conflict.