British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Thursday 3rd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We had to make a choice here. We could have prioritised the rights of the Chagossian community and enabled them to have the right to return and settle on Diego Garcia. That would have undermined the security and viability of the UK-US base, so we thought that was the wrong path to take. We have prioritised national security. The noble Baroness can disagree with that choice. She may suggest that she would have prioritised the Chagossians’ right to return. That is a pretty interesting position for any credible, responsible Government of the United Kingdom to adopt, and it is not one that we have chosen.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, my memory is not as good as it used to be, so can the Minister help me? How long ago were the Chagossians removed from their homeland? How many discussions and debates did the previous Government have on this matter, and has she heard any more hypocrisy from the Opposition Front Bench than we have heard today?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I mean, there is plenty. They were removed more than 50 years ago, and we can discuss the wrong of that. It was done, as Members will no doubt observe, under a Labour Government. That is all true. That does not change where we are today. Under successive Governments, including Conservative-led ones, it was recognised that negotiations were necessary to secure the legal footing of the base. I know that the ruling was advisory, but it was soon to be followed by a binding ruling. We could choose to disregard that binding ruling. Other nations would be unlikely to choose to disregard it.