The UK government has stated that they only became aware of Reform Party leader and MP Nigel Farage's visit to Maldives to travel on to Chagos after his video interview was aired.
Farage recently arrived in Maldives with supplies intended for four Chagossians seeking to set up a permanent base on a deserted island in the country. He was working to dispatch a boat with food and medicine to this island which is roughly 300 miles south of the Maldives.
In a video interview with The Telegraph, Farage claimed that a senior Maldivian government official had informed him that the UK government had requested Maldives to step in to obstruct his trip to the Chagos.
The Maldivian government stated that no steps had been taken to obstruct MP Farage's journey to Chagos in any way.
'The Guardian' reported that Farage had not provided advance notice to the UK government of his intention to visit Chagos. It further stated that the UK government had stated that they only became aware of his trip to Maldives intending to travel on to Chagos after he publicized a video claiming obstruction.
A Labour Party official criticized Farage's actions, stating he had flown to the Maldives on a private jet for a single day for a "political stunt".
"Nigel Farage could have spent all weekend campaigning in the byelection in Manchester. Instead he flew 5,000 miles to the Maldives on a USD 60 million private jet, had a moan at the British government, and flew straight back again," the official was quoted as saying.
About 2,000 people were forcibly displaced from the archipelago in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for the Diego Garcia military base. While the UK currently controls the islands, it agreed last year to cede ownership to Mauritius.
As per the deal, the UK will lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years. Diego Garcia, Chagos' largest island, is used as a joint military base by the UK and USA.
