Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK-Mauritius political agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, announced on 3 October 2024, whether Prime Minister Ramgoolam requested changes to the provisions on the exercising of sovereign rights and authorities over Diego Garcia for the duration of the lease after 3 October 2024.

As we and Mauritius have repeatedly said, including in joint statements on 20 December 2024 and on 13 January, both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia.  We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running commentary on the details.