- 20/01/2026
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
This Bill will implement in UK law certain provisions of the treaty signed in May 2025 between the UK and Mauritius agreeing the status and future of the Chagos Archipelago, including the joint US–UK military base on Diego Garcia (the archipelago’s largest island). The UK currently administers the Chagos Archipelago as the British Indian Ocean Territory, one of the UK’s 14 Overseas Territories.
After the Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on 20 October 2025, it was amended in the House of Lords before returning to the Commons on 20 January 2026. There were 6 amendments. Lords amendment 4 was agreed to, and amendments 2 and 3 were withdrawn after it was deemed by the Speaker that they would impose a charge on public revenue that has not been authorised by a money resolution in the Commons. The 3 remaining amendments were subject to motions to disagree:
Lords Amendment 1 would require the Secretary of State to negotiate an amendment to the treaty so the UK could stop making payments to the Mauritian Government in the event that it cannot use the Diego Garcia Military base was rejected: Ayes 344, Noes 182.
Lords Amendment 5 would require the Secretary of State to publish a statement setting out the total costs of payments to Mauritius under the treaty, and the methodology used to calculate those costs was rejected: Ayes 347, Noes 185.
Lords Amendment 6 would require the Secretary of State to lay an estimate of the anticipated expenditure related to the treaty before the House of Commons. In the event of Mauritius not honouring the provisions of the treaty, where all dispute mechanisms have been exhausted, the amendment would require the Secretary of State to lay before the House of commons a resolution to cease payments under the treaty. This was rejected: Ayes 347, Noes 184.
A Committee was appointed to draw up reasons for disagreeing with the Lords amendments, which will be reported and communicated to the Lords.