THE Universal Postal Union (UPU) has now banned the use of British Indian Ocean Territory stamps on post from the Chagos Islands, a symbolic step asserting Mauritian sovereignty over them.

The UN agency’s move, originally recommended by its council in May, is in line with the UN’s top maritime court ruling in January that ordered Britain to end its “unlawful occupation” of the islands.

Britain forcibly deported the entire population of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius between 1967 and 1973, having administratively separated them from the latter in 1965 so they did not win independence when Mauritius did.

It did so to facilitate a major US Indian Ocean naval base on the largest island, Diego Garcia, which the US leases to this day. The Chagos Islanders have never been allowed to return.

The UN general assembly voted 116 to six that Britain needed to return the islands to Mauritian sovereignty in 2019 but Britain refuses to comply, asserting sovereignty.

Under Jeremy Corbyn the Labour Party agreed to give them back and allow the islanders’ return.

Mauritius is reported to be planning an application to block international flights over the area.