Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the proposed transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The Foreign Secretary and Secretary Blinken discussed the BIOT negotiations in Washington DC on 7 December. The US, UK, and Mauritius have reiterated that protecting the continued effective operation of the base on Diego Garcia is a key priority. The UK is working in lockstep with the US on all elements of BIOT and will continue to do so.