Select committee: International Agreements Committee
Conclusion 63
9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia
Published 25 Jun 2025
International Agreements Committee Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Nevertheless, it is clear that if the Agreement is not ratified, and if a future Government attempted to go on resisting international pressure to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, Mauritius is likely to resume its campaign through international courts with a view to obtaining a legally binding judgment on sovereignty against the UK. We heard that there are ways in which Mauritius could bring that issue before an international court. We also heard that any international court looking at this issue would be unlikely to find in favour of the UK. In that circumstance, the future of the Base on Diego Garcia would be at greater risk.
From: International Agreements Committee, 9th Report - UK-Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, 25 June 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 25 September 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's report and its conclusion that ratification would reduce the risk facing the Diego Garcia base, and sets out its response on defence, environment, resettlement, finance, duration, dispute settlement and amendment.
- On defence, the Government welcomes the Committee's clarity on "expeditiously" informing Mauritius of any armed attack, and agrees that the Agreement does not require notification in advance, so "no sensitive details of military activities would ever be passed on".
- On the Marine Protected Area, the UK "will support" Mauritius' ambitions, with the terms of support to be "agreed in a separate process which is already underway". It is for Mauritius to decide how the £45 million annual development funds are used.
- On resettlement, the Government is discussing modalities with Mauritius. Ahead of ratification it has "committed to providing a factual Statement to both Houses" covering eligibility criteria and the modalities of the trust fund.
- On amendment, the Government notes the Minister has stated, and written to confirm, that the Article 16.2 exception "will only be used in very exceptional circumstances".