Responses: Diane Abbott

Dear Kieran

Thank you for emailing us regarding the situation surrounding the right of return for native Chagossians.

As you may know, Diane is a massive campaigner on human rights. On hearing about the Chagossians plight Diane was not hesitant to criticise her own Government, including the then Foreign Secretary David Miliband about the the dishonest and deceitful way they and the US authorities had treated the Chagossians. Diane was in fact the only one of the current leadership candidates to speak out and challenge her Government, in public or private, about the injustices surrounding the Chagos Islands and its indigenous people.

Diane has written many times to Ministers on this issue and attended a debate in April to question the then Foreign Minister for Europe Chris Bryant. Diane is also a member of the Chagos Islands All Party Parliamentary Group and tabled an EDM in March, which read:

That this House believes that the interests of the Chagossian people and of Mauritius must be fully protected in the proposed Marine Protected Area; urges the Government to withdraw its case from the European Court of Human Rights and to settle out of court, as already suggested by the Court; and requests the Prime Minister to engage with Mauritius and the Chagossians, before the general election, in order to initiate discussion on an overall settlement of the issues, including timetable for eventual transfer of sovereignty of the Outer Islands to Mauritius and provision for a limited settlement on the Outer Islands.

Diane is committed to seeing the people of the Chagos Islands gain the right to return to their Native Homeland. Should she be elected as Leader of the Labour party, she would certainly campaign vigorously for the cessation of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and the right of return for all native Chagossians..

Thank you once again for your email highlighting this issue. Hopefully this answer will be sufficient but if not please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards

Diane 4 Leader Campaign Team