Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Oral Statement of 7 October 2024 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations, Official Report, column 46, on what evidential basis he stated that the UK has the right to extend the 99 year period.

As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement in October 2024, the UK negotiated a right to extend the duration of the Treaty beyond 99 years. This formed part of the negotiations with the Government of Mauritius and was subsequently included in Article 13 of the Treaty.