A High Court injunction has has temporarily banned the UK government from concluding negotiations on the Chagos Islands deal.
Ministers were due to complete a deal today that would have seen the UK hand over sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius.
But in an injunction granted in the early hours of this morning, brought against the Foreign Office, Mr Justice Goose granted “interim relief” to Bertrice Pompe, who had previously taken steps to bring legal action over the deal.
Ms Pompe is a Chagossian woman who sees the deal as a betrayal of their rights.
Mr Justice Goose said in his order: “The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer.”
It is understood at Sir Keir Starmer was due to attend a virtual ceremony this morning.
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