Chagossians given right to live on island in major victory over 'surrender' deal

Following the judicial review heard on March 13, 2026, the Court has granted the claim and ruled that the long-standing removal of the Chagossians' right of abode is "unlawful", ordering that it be "quashed".

Discussing the ruling, Barrister James Tumbridge celebrated the "huge piece of news" for his clients, the Chagossians.

He told GB News: "This morning, the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory quashed it. That law is now dead.

"The Government are appealing it, unsurprisingly, but that is a huge piece of news for our clients."

Mr Tumbridge cautioned that due to the Government's appeal, the fight for the Chagossian community "has to go on".

He said: "Ultimately, if we're able to sustain this, all Chagossians, we know that there are apparently over 300 that would like to return to the islands and form a settlement, so for them, this is enormous news.

"The fight has to go on, because the Government's appealing and the Government still wants to get rid of my clients who are on an island, but fundamentally, this judge has recognised things have changed."

In February, Mr Mandarin travelled with a small group to Ile du Coin, part of the Peros Banhos coral atoll.

Speaking to GB News from their settlement, Mr Mandarin remained defiant despite being issued removal papers by the Government.

He told the People's Channel: "The Chagos Islands have to stay British. If Keir Starmer removed my dad from those islands, I'm not afraid to say he couldn't have blood on his hands. Because my dad will die with sadness. He is so happy here."

Reacting to the court's ruling, Mr Mandarin said: "Today justice has finally begun to catch up with history. For generations, we have lived with exile, with loss, and with the denial of our most basic rights.

"This judgment restores not just a legal principle, but our dignity as a people. We have returned peacefully to our homeland. We ask only to live, to remember, and to belong.

"Today the law has recognised what we have always known, that our connection to these islands cannot be erased."

The case challenged both the Government's refusal to grant permits and its decision to issue removal notices to Chagossians currently on the islands, without fair process or proper consideration of their circumstances.

The Court also found serious procedural unfairness, in that removal notices were issued "without prior engagement, without giving the claimants an opportunity to make representations, and without adequate reasons".

With the right of abode restored, the Government's ability to remove Chagossians from the islands is now dramatically constrained.

Any future attempt to do so will require a lawful process, proper justification, and compelling reasons capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny. In practical terms, removal becomes exceptionally difficult to justify.

Claire Bullivant, CEO of the Great British PAC said: "This is a historic victory. For decades, Chagossians have been denied the most basic right, the right to live in their own homeland.

"Today's judgment confirms that the legal basis for that exclusion cannot stand.It is hard to overstate the importance of this moment.

"The Government's entire approach to Chagos, built over more than twenty years, has been fundamentally called into question."