Falkland Islands and Gibraltar status non-negotiable, says Lammy

Britain's determination to relinquish power of the Chagos Islands does not awesome a alteration successful the government's presumption connected different overseas territories, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.

He told the Commons the presumption of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and different British Overseas Territories are "not up for negotiation".

It comes aft the authorities announced it would springiness up sovereignty implicit a clump of distant Indian Ocean islands, a determination which follows years of diplomatic talks and planetary unit connected the UK to resoluteness their disputed status.

Meanwhile, Chagossians who reason the woody to manus power of the islands to Mauritius person staged a protestation extracurricular Parliament.

Lammy described the woody with Mauritius - which has agelong argued that it was illegally forced to springiness the islands distant successful instrumentality for its ain independency from the UK successful 1968 - arsenic a "historic moment" and a "victory for diplomacy".

A cardinal constituent of the woody announced past week, which is expected to beryllium ratified successful 2025, volition let the UK and US to proceed to run a strategically located subject basal connected 1 of the islands, Diego Garcia.

While the UK's determination to renounce claims to the Chagos Islands has received praise internationally, including from the US, critics accidental it could embolden governments which assertion sovereignty implicit different British Overseas Territories.

Lammy told the Commons the peculiar circumstances astir the Chagos Islands are "not comparable" to different territorial disputes, successful peculiar Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands - which the Spanish and Argentine governments respectively assertion rights over.

"The authorities remains firmly committed to modern partnerships with our overseas territories based connected communal consent," helium added.

Tory shadiness overseas caput Andrew Mitchell criticised the agreement, saying it gives "succour to our enemies successful a unsafe world, and undermines the strategical web of Britain's defence interests".

Soon aft the woody was announced, the Argentine authorities restated its assertion to the Falkland Islands. The British politician of the islands reassured its radical astir the deal and said the "UK's unwavering committedness to support UK sovereignty remains undiminished" successful airy of the Chagos Islands agreement.

While Britain has apologised for the forcible removal of astir 1,000 Chagossian islanders successful the 1960s, galore of the island's diaspora bash not enactment Mauritius's territorial claims.

Some Chagossians who unrecorded successful the UK say they were not consulted connected the caller agreement. A radical gathered successful Westminster portion Lammy made his statement.

Ingrid from Crawley said: “It was similar idiosyncratic stabbed you from behind. Our bosom was breached due to the fact that they conscionable took the decision.

“We don’t person a say, it’s arsenic if we don’t count. We are conscionable similar their puppets. Where are our quality rights?”

Bertrice Pompe from Clapham Junction said Chagossians had been precise poorly treated, adding “to them, we are not human”.

She continued: “I’d emotion to spell back... I’d emotion to spell determination for longer than 1 week.

"The UK is not my state but I person to beryllium present conscionable to effort get backmost to wherever I belong.”

Mylene Augustin from Crawley demanded the authorities "stop the suffering", adding: "Let my people, fto america determine for our future.

"This is our island, this is our heritage."