Member

This cannot go unchecked. The amendment would require three simple, just and necessary things. First, that the Secretary of State must intervene through diplomatic and international channels to ensure that the birthplace of Chagossian natives continues to be recognised accurately. Secondly, that all official documents, birth records, passports and identity papers must reflect the truth of a person’s origins. Thirdly, that Parliament must be informed annually of any attempts by any state to alter or erase this information. The Chagossians are one of the most dispossessed people in the modern British story. They were removed without their consent, they were misrepresented in official papers, they were denied self-determination, and their history has often been told without them. Now, even their birthplace is being overwritten. We cannot allow that to happen. I hope that Amendment 50A will gain support.