WIREDGOV

The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee yesterday published its report, ‘Chagossian views on the Agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago’

• Full report: Chagossian views on the UK-Mauritius Chagos Agreement (PDF)
• Full report: Chagossian views on the Agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago (HTML)
• Inquiry: Chagossian views on the Agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago · International Relations and Defence Committee

One of the key findings of our report is that Chagossians feel sidelined and demand to be at the centre of decisions affecting them and their homeland.

Our report is the result of an online survey we conducted to seek the views of Chagossians in the UK, Mauritius, the Seychelles and elsewhere on the UK-Mauritius Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.

On 11 November 2025 we were invited by the Government and the Conservative Party to gather views from Chagossians in connection with the passage through Parliament of the Bill implementing the Agreement. In order to give Chagossians an opportunity to express their opinions on key parts of the Agreement, and in light of our earlier inquiry into the matter, we accepted this invitation.

We launched an online survey, translated also into French and Mauritian Creole, and disseminated through Chagossian networks in the UK, Mauritius, the Seychelles, and beyond. Notwithstanding tight timeframes and methodological constraints, the survey attracted over 3,000 responses.

Chair's comments

Chair's comments Commenting on the report, Lord de Mauley, who chairs the Committee said:

“Chagossians have been consistently sidelined during negotiations on the UK’s Agreement with Mauritius regarding the Chagos Archipelago. Successive UK Governments have failed to engage meaningfully with the community throughout this process.”

“Chagossians have a clear moral right to be heard and to participate in decisions affecting themselves and their homeland. We are grateful to all Chagossians who responded to our survey. While this provided an opportunity for them to voice their views, our survey cannot be a substitute for a full Government consultation. It is now for the Government to take responsibility and respond to the concerns Chagossians raised with us through the survey.”

“Despite working under significant time and resource constraints, we believe that our findings paint a broadly accurate picture of Chagossian views. The key themes that emerged closely align with those identified by the Committee as part of its previous inquiry into the implications of transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.”

Key recommendations

Key conclusions and recommendations of the report include:

• Chagossians feel a deep sense of injustice over their forced displacement from the islands and the hardships that followed, overwhelmingly emphasising that compensation and support should be provided to Chagossians directly, with Chagossian oversight and representation in decision-making.
• Distrust of the Mauritian government is widespread, rooted in historical marginalisation and discrimination. Concerns were expressed that the Agreement lacks sufficient safeguards, clarity or transparency to give Chagossians confidence that their needs would be met.
• Chagossians articulated heartfelt aspirations to return to their homeland. At the same time, they also recognised the very practical obstacles to resettlement, and shared concerns that the Mauritian government would not deliver a fair resettlement programme.
• The £40 million trust fund established under the Agreement is seen not merely as a financial instrument, but as a vehicle which should provide redress and improvement to the lives of Chagossians. Many advocated for direct financial support, as well as Chagossian oversight and involvement in setting the priorities for the fund.
• Chagossian participation in environmental governance was also seen as central to future conservation efforts across the Archipelago.