He is not a politician, a lawyer, a billionaire or a media baron. Misley Mandarin is a British Army veteran and a Chagossian who has decided he has had enough — and he is now prepared to risk everything to stop what he calls the “final betrayal” of his people.
With the full weight of the Labour Government bearing down on him and a £30 billion treaty on the horizon, Mandarin has set himself against the most unlikely of opponents: Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Last month Starmer’s government quietly signed a deal to surrender sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius — a decision that has provoked fury among veterans, Chagossians and national security experts alike.
“We were evicted from our homeland by a past Labour government,” said Mandarin. “Now the current Labour Government is doing something even worse – stripping us of our right to self-determination.”
“I’d Rather Die Than See My Homeland Handed Over”
For Mandarin, none of this is abstract. His own relatives were among the thousands of Chagossians forcibly expelled from the archipelago by the British state under Labour in the late 1960s and 1970s. His life, his identity and his future are bound up with those islands — part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), and now the subject of one of the most contentious foreign policy decisions in decades.
“I would rather die than watch Keir Starmer give my homeland to a foreign power,” he said in a recent statement.
Today he heads the grassroots group BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territory), speaking for the Chagossians who were never consulted before Starmer’s government signed away the islands — and British sovereignty — to Mauritius in a backroom deal. That deal would also saddle the UK taxpayer with an eye-watering £101 million a year, more than £30 billion over the course of a century.
Taking On the Labour Government — at Great Personal Risk
Mandarin is not content merely to protest. He is bringing a Judicial Review to establish that the treaty was signed unlawfully. Legal experts — among them a leading King’s Counsel — believe the Government may have breached several principles at once: a failure to consult the Chagossians, an irrational disregard for their rights, violations of the Equality Act 2010, and even racial discrimination.
That challenge, however, carries an enormous personal price.
“The cruel Labour Government could come after Misley for enormous legal costs if they lose,” said Claire Bullivant, CEO of the Great British PAC. “That’s why we’re building a buffer to protect him.”
Our campaign has already secured the legal fees needed to launch the case and is now working to raise a further £20,000 to underwrite it, shielding Mandarin from any reprisals. Ben Habib has pledged to match contributions up to £10,000 from his own pocket.
“This is not just a treaty,” said Habib. “It’s a national betrayal, done behind closed doors and without a democratic mandate. But it’s not too late to stop it. This is a test of whether our Government is accountable to the law, and whether Parliament has the facts to do the right thing.”
Starmer’s Shameful Deal — and the Rising Rebellion
Starmer put his name to the treaty last month without consultation and without any debate in Parliament. Beyond ceding British sovereignty over the archipelago, the agreement commits the UK to a financial liability of more than £30 billion — even as Mauritius deepens its ties with Russia and China.
Only weeks before the deal was struck, Mauritius signed a marine “research” pact with Russia, a development that has alarmed British security analysts. They warn that the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia could, over time, be compromised.
The Foreign Office insists the treaty contains clauses to keep Chinese or Russian bases away from the area, but critics are far from reassured. “If World War III breaks out, everything is off the table, and we have nowhere on that side of the planet to refuel our ships and planes. The US should be very worried too,” one military expert explained.
At the same time, opposition is gathering in the House of Lords, where Conservative peers have tabled a fatal motion to block ratification of the treaty outright.
“Spooked by a last-minute legal fight, the Government’s unnecessary political decision to sign away our sovereignty over the Chagos Islands will cost the British taxpayer £30 billion and put our strategic defence interests at risk,” said Lord Callanan, the shadow foreign minister in the Lords.
The motion points to the lack of any legal obligation to sign the deal, the absence of consultation, and the betrayal of the Chagossian people — particularly the non-Mauritian descendants living in the UK. Were it to pass, it would mark the first time the House of Lords has used the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act to attempt to block a treaty.
Misley: A Voice the Nation Must Hear
Through all the political manoeuvring on every side, one voice carries genuine moral clarity: that of Misley Mandarin. A British Army veteran, a Chagossian and a campaigner, he has become the public face of a legal battle for justice, identity and national integrity.
His is the kind of courage Britain ought to honour. Instead, it is the Labour Government that may seek to punish him with court costs for daring to tell the truth.
The Great British PAC, under Ben Habib’s leadership, is determined not to let that happen. “Misley has shown incredible courage,” said Habib. “Now, we must stand behind him.”
This was never really a dispute about an island. It is about honour, justice and the rule of law — and about whether one brave man, standing with the people rather than the politicians, can halt a betrayal before it is too late.
Stand with Misley. Help protect him from Government reprisals. Donate now: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/savechagos
All photos credit: Misley Mandarin