Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the press release by the United Nations Human Rights Office entitled Agreement between Mauritius and the UK fails to guarantee rights of Chagossians say UN experts, published on 10 June 2025.

The negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius with our priority being to secure the full operation of the base on Diego Garcia, and the deal has been welcomed by international organisations including the UN Secretary General, African Union and Commonwealth. The UN Special Procedures are Independent Experts. Their views are not binding and do not represent the views of the UN system as a whole. We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure the agreement reflects this. We will increase our support to Chagossians, including through: the establishment of a £40 million fund to benefit Chagossians; the ability Mauritius will have, for the first time, to resettle the islands other than Diego Garcia; and work with Mauritius to start a new programme of visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. We have also maintained the current route to British citizenship for Chagossians, so all Chagossians will remain eligible and free to make their home in the UK. The UK Government regularly engages Chagossian groups and representatives at both official and Ministerial levels and a new 'Contact Group' will facilitate dialogue between the Chagossian community and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on future programmes.