EXILED islanders from a British-controlled territory are expected to find out within weeks if they can leave the Sussex town they have had to call home for forty years and return to their homeland, the Government has said.

Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood told MPs he expects a decision before the end of the year on the resettlement of the Chagos Islands.

His comments came as Tory MPs, including a former Foreign Office minister, urged the Government to establish a scheme which enables Chagossians to be given jobs currently held by Filipinos and others at the territory's US air base.

Crawley hosts the world's largest population of the Chagossion diaspora and MP Henry Smith has long been an advocate of their right to return.

Last year he and members of the community delivered a petition on the subject to number 10.

Chagossians were forced to leave the islands, in the central Indian Ocean, by 1973 to make way for the US base on Diego Garcia.

The expulsions are regarded as one of the most shameful parts of Britain's modern colonial history, with a decision on whether Chagossians have the right to resettle being subject to lengthy delays.

The deal which allows the US to maintain its Diego Garcia base is up for renewal this year and is expected to be extended.

Mr Ellwood told a Westminster Hall debate that work is continuing to find out if proposals for resettlement can work in practice.

He said: "At this point, there is no fixed date for that announcement but I can assure honourable members we do expect it to be before the end of this year."

Mr Ellwood replied: "Some of the economic opportunities that are there, the lifestyle, the ability to provide the support needs further work to ensure this is actually viable.

Conservative Sir Henry Bellingham, a former Foreign Office minister, said more needs to be done to ensure the Americans employ Chagossians.

Tory Bob Stewart, a former United Nations commander, said compromise over resettlement is needed given that the US needs to keep its air base.

He said: "If there are about 3,000 Filipino people working there and there are about 3,000 Chagossians who want to return, how about slowly changing the mix so Chagossians can go back and have somewhere - if they wish - to have a job etc.

"I absolutely think it's mad the Chagossians cannot work there but Filipinos can."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - a long-term backer of the Chagossian exiles - was present at the debate.