Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Thursday 13th February 2025

We achieved our primary objective in negotiations with Mauritius: to protect the future of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The treaty will be put before Parliament for scrutiny and debate.

The previous government started negotiations in November 2022 with the government of Mauritius regarding sovereignty over Diego Garcia and the long-term use of the US base.

On the basis of both legal advice and national security considerations, this Government continued those negotiations in order to secure the long-term future of the military base. On 3 October last year, the Government announced that that we had a reached agreement with Mauritius. The agreement will allow the base to continue its operations for 99 years, with a first refusal option to extend that time period. The UK will retain control over Diego Garcia, with full capability to restrict adversaries.

The Government is confident that the agreement reached will protect UK security, secure the future of the US base on Diego Garcia and cement long-term UK and US presence in the Indo-Pacific for generations to come. When the details of the agreement have been finalised, the treaty will be presented to Parliament for scrutiny and debate.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office