Nigel Farage explodes with fury as his Chagos Islands aid mission is ‘blocked’ | Politics | News
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accused the UK Government of trying to ruin its mission to help four Chagossians trying to establish settlement on a deserted island in the archipelago. Mr Farage flew to the Maldives with the equipment and planned a 24-hour trip to the island of Île du Coin. A boat carrying medicine and food was supposed to depart, but plans were derailed.
Telegram in question He understands that the voyage to the island, 300 miles south of the Maldives, was halted due to “a combination of threats, mechanical problems and the insistence of UK authorities that only trained crew should be on board”. Mr Farage was expected to return to England on Saturday night and the boat would make the journey without him. The reform leader claimed he received a call from a senior source within the Maldives government warning him that the UK Government did not want him to set foot on the island.
He said: “The British Government made every effort to prevent me from going to the Chagos Islands. They asked the Maldives government to prevent me from leaving and setting foot on the boat. This was information I received from a senior official of the Maldivian government.”
“I cannot believe that such an attempt was made to prevent a British citizen from reaching British territory. My source told me that the British are ‘very concerned’ about me and want to know why I am here. This trip is a humanitarian mission and I do not want my presence to jeopardize that.”
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Chagossian campaigners arrived on the island on Monday, along with former MP Adam Holloway. They set out from Sri Lanka with the aim of establishing a permanent settlement.
They were served with release papers by British authorities, but a UK court blocked the deportation order. The group includes 74-year-old Michel Mandarin, who was born on the islands but was forcibly removed at the age of 14; The group is led by his son, Misley Mandarin.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was invited to comment.
