British foreign secretary says Falkland Islands status non-negotiable after returning Chagos Islands to Mauritius

England's decision to give up control of the Chagos Islands does mean the British government has changed its position on any other British Overseas Territories, according to U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

In an address to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the high level British official said the status of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and other British Overseas Territories were “not up for negotiation.”

The British foreign secretary comes after the U.K. government said it would give up its claim over an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean, a decision that came after years of diplomatic negotiations after pressure for London to turn over the small parcels of land to Mauritius.

Mauritius officials have consistently complained that it was coerced into surrendering the islands in exchange for political independence from Great Britain in 1968. London has acknowledged and apologized for some of its past actions, particularly the forcible removal an estimated 1,000 Chagossian islanders during the 1960s.

Still, the decision has stoked controversy from some Britons and some Chagossians who want the islands to remain under the control of the British government.

Lammy celebrated the move in his comments, calling the decision to turn over the islands a “historic moment” and a “victory for diplomacy.”

Part of the deal, which is expected to be ratified in 2025, will allow both the United States and United Kingdom to continue to operate a military bases on one of the islands, Diego Garcia. The island was once the focus of conspiracy theories involving the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

While London’s decision to relinquish its control over the Chagos Islands has been welcomed by the international community, including Washington, some foreign policy hawks say it could open a floodgate of arguments compelling England to surrender its control over other British Overseas Territories.

To that end, Lammy told the House of Commons the Chagos Islands were a unique circumstance and it is “not comparable” to other territorial disputes, in particular the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar, which were both previously the subject of disputes with the Argentine and Spanish governments, respectively.

"The government remains firmly committed to modern partnerships with our overseas territories based on mutual consent," he told members of the Commons.

Andrew Mitchell, the Tory shadow foreign secretary criticized the agreement, saying it gives “succour to our enemies in a dangerous world, and undermines the strategic web of Britain's defence interests.”

Mitchell’s concerns were borne out immediately after the Chagos Islands negotiation was approved, as Buenos Aires reasserted its rights over the Falkland Islands, a claim which led to the Falklands War between Argentina and England in 1981.

That conflict led to combat between Argentine and British warships resulting in 655 Argentine combat deaths and 255 British combat deaths.

In response to the Argentine government’s comments, the Falkland’s British governor told residents that London would remain in control over the South American territory, saying that the “U.K.'s unwavering commitment to defend U.K. sovereignty remains undiminished.”

According to a report published by the BBC, some Britons have called upon the Tories to challenge the decision, and U.K. based Chagossians have complained that they were not given an opportunity to weigh in on the decision.

The BBC published the following quotes from interviews conducted with British based Chagossians:

Ingrid from Crawley said: “It was like somebody stabbed you from behind. Our heart was broken because they just took the decision.

“We don’t have a say, it’s as if we don’t count. We are just like their puppets. Where are our human rights?”

Bertrice Pompe from Clapham Junction said Chagossians had been very poorly treated, adding “to them, we are not human”.

She continued: “I’d love to go back... I’d love to go there for longer than one week.

"The U.K. is not my country but I have to be here just to try get back to where I belong.”

Mylene Augustin from Crawley demanded the government "stop the suffering", adding: "Let my people, let us decide for our future. 

"This is our island this is our heritage."