Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the content is of his response of 16 December 2024 to the Mauritian counterproposals to the UK/Mauritius draft agreement.

In a joint statement on 20 December, both the UK and Mauritius committed to finalising an agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over BIOT/Chagos as quickly as possible. It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary of ongoing engagement with Mauritius, however we will continue to work closely in good faith with the new Mauritian Government to conclude a deal that is in both sides' shared interests, including protecting the base on Diego Garcia. Both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the details of the Treaty in the usual way when it comes to Parliament before ratification.