Every so often, a decision comes along in Parliament that exposes exactly what a government stands for. Labour’s so-called “Chagos Agreement” is one of them and it tells us everything we need to know about their priorities.
It is a deal that hands over British territory. It is a deal that ignores the Chagossian community. And it is a deal that will cost British taxpayers an eye-watering £35 billion, at a time when families here in Crawley are paying more and getting less.
Let’s be clear about what’s happening.
Labour wants to surrender British sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a strategically vital military base in the Indian Ocean to the Government of Mauritius. That decision is being made without the consent of the Chagossian people, many of whom live right here in Crawley. Families who were exiled from their homeland by past governments are now being told they will have no say in its future.
Worse still, this surrender comes with a blank cheque. The British people are being forced to pay £35 billion, not for defence, not for schools or hospitals but to a foreign government that openly plans to use that money to cut taxes. While our taxes go up, Mauritius gets a windfall.
It is shameful. It is wrong. And Labour is pushing it through at speed, silencing debate, refusing to answer questions, and ignoring the real costs. They even tried to stop Parliament voting on the deal. It was only thanks to Conservatives in the House of Lords that this bill was debated at all.
And they haven’t just ignored the public, they’ve ignored the Chagossians themselves. It took the House of Lords to run a proper survey of Chagossian opinion. The result? A clear majority of those with roots in the islands want to remain British. Yet Labour won’t listen. These are people who have contributed to Crawley for decades. They work hard. They raise families. They are proud to be British. And now they are being betrayed by a Labour government more interested in global headlines than national interest.
The Conservatives have opposed this deal at every stage. We have fought it in the Commons, scrutinised it in the Lords, and we will keep fighting until Labour sees sense.
And make no mistake, this is not just about one island or one community. It is about national security. Diego Garcia is a key UK-US military base. The President of the United States himself has warned that this deal is a “mistake” that benefits China and Russia.
Yet Labour are pressing ahead regardless.
This is what happens when you put ideology before sovereignty. When you chase international approval instead of standing up for your own people. Labour used to talk about “listening”. But when it came to the Chagossians of Crawley, they didn’t listen at all.
Crawley deserves better. Britain deserves better. And the Chagossian community deserves justice, not betrayal.
