How a new monied 'PAC' tried to thwart Chagos deal

Backers of legal challenge to derail Starmer agreement on Diego Garcia threaten to cause more disruption

- Catherine Neilan

The plan to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius was nearly derailed last week by a "pro-sovereign, pro-right" group led by a former deputy leader of Reform.

On Wednesday a group of Labour MPs was given a briefing by the Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty about the plan, which ministers expected to be signed off early the next morning. What they did not know was that the deal was about to be thrown into disarray by a legal challenge, whose backers have vowed it will be the first of many.

Although the challenge was fronted by Chagos-born British citizens Bertrice Pompe and Bernadette Dugasse, behind the scenes it was organised and funded by the Great British PAC, a "pro-sovereign, pro-right, pro-democratic" vehicle led by the Conservative activist Claire Bullivant and Reform's former deputy co-leader Ben Habib.