Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel appeared on GB News to explain her parliamentary Bill aimed at blocking the government's Chagos Islands sovereignty deal.

"This touches on sovereignty of the British Indian Overseas Territory," she told the broadcaster, emphasising the legislation would protect "the Chagossian community in the United Kingdom who are clearly British and want to remain British and have not been consulted about this by this appalling Government."

The Bill specifies that the Chagos Archipelago falls under British sovereignty and that this cannot be negotiated away without Parliamentary approval. It also prohibits government payments to foreign nations unless authorised by Parliament.

Patel stressed the importance of including British Chagossians in any future sovereignty discussions, noting they had been "ignored and neglected by Labour."

Priti Patel wants to scupper Keir Starmer's bid to hand over the Chagos Islands

Dame Priti Patel has formally presented the British Indian Ocean Territory (Sovereignty and Constitutional Arrangements) Bill to Parliament, seeking to halt Labour's agreement to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary's legislation aims to prevent the government from proceeding with the sovereignty transfer and the associated £30.3 billion payment to Mauritius.

"Keir Starmer and David Lammy have been too busy cosying up to their left-wing lawyer friends and activists to defend our national interests," Patel stated.

"Parliament must put a stop to this shameful surrender deal and legislate to protect our sovereignty, the rights of British Chagossians and taxpayers' money."

The Bill would require Parliamentary authorisation before any sovereignty changes could be implemented or funds transferred to foreign governments.

The government has conducted negotiations over the Chagos Islands in secret, with Labour refusing to allocate parliamentary time for debate and voting on the surrender deal.

Patel highlighted the current 21-day treaty process underway, explaining on GB News that "Keir Starmer said if we didn't agree with it, we are aligned with the United Kingdom's adversaries."

She criticised the government's approach, stating: "21 days, this treaty comes to Parliament and in pure autocratic fashion, Labour denies anyone a debate in Parliament about this which is wrong."

Priti Patel joined Martin Daubney to explain her bill

The Shadow Foreign Secretary called for transparency, saying: "My solution is table a bill, which we have done. We want an open, honest, transparent debate." She emphasised that taxpayers deserve scrutiny over how their money is spent.

The Conservatives have joined forces with Reform to oppose the deal through parliamentary mechanisms. The parties have tabled an Early Day Motion against what they describe as a "sellout" costing taxpayers £30.3 billion, equivalent to "one and half Reeves 'black holes'."

Patel warned about the financial implications on GB News, stating: "It's the taxpayers' money. We want it spent in our country. This is putting more debt and more burden and more borrowing on British taxpayers."

She characterised the agreement as driven by "political choices Keir Starmer and his cronies have made," accusing the Prime Minister and "his left-wing lawyers" of following an advisory opinion that was not legally binding.

The UK's Five Eyes partners - the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - back the agreement, the Defence Secretary saidGETTY

The Shadow Foreign Secretary expressed concerns about "jeopardy for the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands and the wonderful Chagossian community in the United Kingdom."

The Chagossian community has been excluded from negotiations over their homeland's future, leading to anger and a series of legal challenges against the government's deal.

Under the proposed treaty, Mauritius would control any rights for Chagossians to visit or resettle on the islands.

The agreement includes a £40 million Chagossian Trust Fund funded by UK taxpayers, but this would be under the full control of the Mauritian government rather than the Chagossian community itself.

The lack of consultation has left British Chagossians feeling abandoned by the Labour government, with no guaranteed rights to access their ancestral lands despite maintaining their desire to remain British citizens.

Their exclusion from the process has prompted multiple legal actions challenging the sovereignty transfer.