Member

Three thousand Chagossians constitute a very high percentage of the Chagossian population. In this context, if one were to say what the Chagossians want without having a formal self-determination referendum, it would make more sense to assume that they do not want to become part of the Republic of Mauritius. However, I am not arguing that we should presume anything. I am simply stating that the first responsibility of the UK Government in this context must be to provide a self-determination referendum for the Chagossian people to find out what they want before proceeding any further with this Bill or ratifying the treaty.