More than half a century ago, the British and the Americans established the Diego Garcia military base, breaking international law in the process. The locals were forcibly exiled. But now, after decades of court battles, the people who once called the Chagos Archipelago home are closer to returning than ever before.
This situation has been going on since the late 1960s, so it has happened under both Tory and Labour governments unfortunately.
Tony Blair’s government was thinking about doing something but then decided not to because it might complicate their friendship with the US for their “war on terror”.
Some of the really horrible plans seem to originate in the civil service though.