Nigel Farage has accused the British Government of blocking his bid to send aid to Chagos Islanders.
The Reform UK leader flew to the Maldives with supplies to help four Chagossians who are attempting to establish a permanent base on a deserted island in the archipelago.
Mr Farage had worked to send a boat carrying vital food and medicines to the island where the men are trying to establish a colony, about 300 miles south of the Maldives.
The boat will not have the Reform UK leader on board, the Telegraph reports, because threats, mechanical issues and an insistence by UK authorities that only trained crew should be on board put him off making the 24-hour voyage.
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Mr Farage says his attempt to reach the archipelago has been thwarted
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He will instead make his way back to the UK and the boat will set sail without him.
Mr Farage said he received a call from a senior source inside the Maldives government warning him British authorities wanted to stop him from setting foot on the island, Île du Coin.
“The British Government has made every effort to prevent me heading towards the Chagos Islands”, he told The Telegraph.
“They have asked the Maldives government to stop me from leaving here and setting foot on the boat. This was information conveyed to me by a senior figure in the Maldives government.
“I cannot believe such an attempt has been made to stop a British citizen from reaching British territory. My source told me the British were ‘very concerned’ about me and wanted to know why I was here.
“This trip is a humanitarian mission and I don’t want my presence to jeopardise that.”
The establishment of the Diego Garcia military base saw about 2,000 people forcibly removed from the archipelago in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Britain currently owns the islands but signed a treaty last year to cede ownership to Mauritius.
Pressure continues to mount on Keir Starmer over the deal
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The deal will cost the UK £35billion over a century, in addition to lease payments for the military base and development funding for Mauritius, which is facing a budget crisis.
The British Government has accepted US opposition to the deal could see an end to the plans, and President Trump has repeatedly cast doubt.
The latest instance was this week, where Mr Trump said the land “should not be taken away from the UK”.
He warned if it did it would be a “blight on our Great Ally” in a Truth Social post.
Mr Farage said search boats have been set upon him
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His comments followed Washington giving its official backing on Tuesday to hand sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.
Under the deal, which was announced last May, the UK will lease back Diego Garcia for a period of 99 years at an average cost of £101million a year.
Britain has tried to persuade Mr Trump to back the deal and his changes in position have often left the Government in limbo.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously insisted the deal is necessary to protect the continued operation of the base.
Diego Garcia is the archipelago’s largest island and is used as a joint military base by the UK and US armed forces.
GB News has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
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