Labour has now postponed the return of the Chagos Surrender Bill to next year after abruptly pulling the Lords vote last week for fear of defeat. Whips panicked that LibDem peers might side with the Tories on an amendment demanding proper consultation with Chagossians over the deal. The Chagossians’ feelings on the sellout aren’t exactly a secret…
The Report Stage is now delayed to January, with the Lords’ International Relations and Defence Committee expected to open an inquiry. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said:
“At every stage of this sorry saga, Labour have sought to silence Chagossians, many of whom have no desire to see Mauritius take control of their ancestral homeland. Now, we have forced the government to make concessions. This Surrender Bill is another example of Keir Starmer’s disgraceful capitulation to China, and we will keep fighting it every step of the way, standing up for British interests and the Chagossian community.”
Meanwhile, Labour still refuses to provide any actual detail about the much-trumpeted “Chagossian contact group” beyond saying it has “met”. All the while Mauritius is breaking its commitments to Chagossians…
UPDATE: There are implications for the ongoing Judicial Review process from this delay. More as Guido gets it…
