UK Appoints Former PM Blair’s Top Aide to Lead Talks on Chagos Islands Control, Reuters Reports

LONDON – Britain has appointed Jonathan Powell, the former chief of staff to ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, to negotiate the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. The islands are the site of a significant U.S. military base that Mauritius aims to reclaim.

Britain has held control over the Chagos Islands since 1814. In 1965, it separated the islands from Mauritius, which had become independent in 1968, to establish the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Powell’s role as special envoy under Prime Minister Keir Starmer will involve leading discussions with Mauritius, which asserts that it was unlawfully deprived of the islands. The U.K. government leased the largest island, Diego Garcia, to the United States in 1966, facilitating the development of a military airbase that resulted in the forced removal of approximately 2,000 residents.

Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed his commitment to maintaining the long-term operation of the military facility on Diego Garcia. He noted that Powell’s experience, particularly his role in negotiating a peace agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998, makes him well-equipped for these sensitive discussions.

"I look forward to collaborating with him as we strive for a resolution that safeguards both U.K. interests and those of our allies," Lammy stated.

For years, the displaced residents of the Chagos Islands have campaigned for the right to return. A non-binding resolution passed in the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 denounced Britain’s occupation of the territory, with the majority of member states calling for its return to Mauritius.

The Chagos Refugees Group reports that those forcibly relocated to Seychelles and Mauritius have endured severe hardships and poverty.

In 2016, the U.K. Foreign Office extended the lease on Diego Garcia until 2036 and stated that the expelled islanders would not be permitted to return. Diego Garcia has played a crucial role as a U.S. military base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, serving as a launch site for long-range bombers.