David Lammy accused of misleading Commons over Chagos deal

The letter, seen by The Independent, and Lamb’s remarks refer to Lammy’s claims that the Government had “kept the Chagossians informed all along the way”.

It comes as James Cleverly doubled down on criticism, claiming that Labour ministers had “put themselves in a very weak negotiating position” during discussions.

On Monday, the former Tory foreign secretary claimed he “always made sure that certain red lines were in place” during talks.

“Negotiating is one thing, but I always made sure that certain red lines were in place and if the negotiations crossed those red lines then I wouldn’t have accepted a deal,” he told Times Radio.

“And, indeed, over a year’s worth of talks I did not get to a position that I was comfortable with, which is why I never signed off a deal.”

He accused Labour of changing the UK’s position “dramatically” without keeping them in the loop, adding that they had put themselves in a “very weak negotiating position, which is why Mauritius keep coming back for more money and more concessions.”

However, a spokesman for Downing Street said the Government’s priority has always been “to protect UK and US strategic interests”.

The legal letter demands Lammy correct the record on comments that the group claimed were “demonstrably incorrect”.

It also urges the Government to engage with the Chagossian people instead of “simply taking decisions that are thought to be politically expedient.”

The backlash comes as Chagossian Voices has asked lawyers to challenge the Chagos deal.

They claim that Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty was refusing to discuss the negotiations with them, and said they hadn’t even met with Lammy.

Although the Government said they have been speaking with Chagossians during the talks, the letter claims there was a “lack of focus, agenda or indeed information offered to those individuals directly affected by decisions taken by the British government, and decisions taken without proper consultation”.

It adds that the Government has not responded to two letters sent in October and November which urged them to engage with the indigenous people.

Lammy has previously claimed that it was difficult to get one sole view from Chagossians are they are in the UK, but added that the Government “will continue to do all we can to support them”.

The agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands has been controversial following its announcement in October, with negotiations going back and forth.

Meanwhile, there is speculation that US President Donald Trump may veto the deal amid fears of China and Iran gaining access to the UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia.

Shadow armed forces minister Mark Francois called the agreement disastrous, arguing Lammy should abandon the whole plan.

However Lammy has insisted it is “a good deal” which secures the future of the airbase. In addition, the International Court of Justice ruled that the islands belong to Mauritius.

A Government spokesman said last week that negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius to secure full operations of the base on Diego Garcia.

They added: “We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure this agreement reflects their interests. The UK government, under both the previous and current administration, has been engaged with Chagossians at both official and ministerial level during negotiations which first started in November 2022.”

“As part of the agreement, we will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of the Chagossian community. We will work with Mauritius to start a new programme of visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. And Mauritius will be free to develop a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia.”