Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps to (a) help support Chagossians to return to British Indian Ocean territory and (b) hold a referendum on the ownership of that territory.

Issues relating to the islands are subject to ongoing negotiations between Mauritius and the UK.

The UK has no plans to hold a referendum regarding the future administration of the islands. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Chagossians wherever they live, including through Government-funded projects in the UK and Mauritius and the new route to British citizenship, launched in November 2022.