Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16455 on Nuclear-free Zones: Treaties, whether the proposed treaty with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands will include an exemption for the military base at Diego Garcia from all protocols, with the exception of protocols I and II, of the Treaty of Pelindaba.

With reference to the answers that I provided to questions 16455 and 18117, asked by the Rt Hon Member for Rayleigh and Wickford, the UK’s primary goal throughout negotiations was to protect the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional and international security. For the first time in over 50 years the base will be undisputed and legally secure. Details of the Treaty agreed between the UK and Mauritius will come before Parliament for scrutiny in the usual manner following its signature. It would be inappropriate to release further details at this stage.