Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Indian government on (a) British Sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, (b) the operation of Indian bases on Mauritian territory and (c) the use of Diego Garcia or the rest of the archipelago by (i) the Indian Navy and (ii) other Indian forces.

The Foreign Secretary last spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on 25 November 2024 about a range of issues, including BIOT. UK officials also regularly engage with the Indian government about the agreement. Our primary goal in negotiations has been to protect the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement reached contains robust security arrangements, ensuring the base can continue to operate securely and effectively as it has done, well into the next century. It has been strongly supported by our closest allies and partners, including the US and India . We would not have signed off any agreement that compromised any of our security interests or those of our allies.