Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill — Amendment Paper: HL Bill 163(c) Motions for Consideration of Commons Reasons

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean
Territory Bill
MOTIONS TO BE MOVED
ON CONSIDERATION OF COMMONS REASONS
[The page and line references are to HL Bill 139, the Bill as first printed for the Lords]
LORDS AMENDMENT 1
Clause 1
_ Lord Callanan to move, as an amendment to the Minister’s motion, at end insert “, and
do propose the following amendment in lieu—
_ After Clause 5, insert the following new Clause—
“Inoperability of the Diego Garcia military base
(1) Within one month of the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State
must publish and lay before the Libraries of both Houses all formal correspondence
exchanged between the governments of the United Kingdom and the United
States of America since 22 May 2025 on the question of the status of the Treaty
should the Diego Garcia base become inoperable.
(2) In subsection (1), the base becoming inoperable includes both ceasing to be of
practical use due to physical conditions, and ceasing to be able to serve
unconditionally and unimpeded the defence and security interests of the United
Kingdom or the United States of America.””
_ Lord Purvis of Tweed to move, as an amendment to the Minister’s motion, at end insert
“, and do propose the following amendment in lieu—
_ Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert “, subject to subsection (2A).
(2A) Sections 2 to 4 of this Act come into force only when the Secretary of State has
laid before both Houses of Parliament a report setting out the Government’s
assessment of—
(a) the circumstances in which the Diego Garcia military base would become
unusable; and
(b) the position of the government of the United States of America in relation
to the Diego Garcia military base and the circumstances in which its use
59/1 HL Bill 163(c)

would become impossible, with reference to the legal status of the
archipelago.””
LORDS AMENDMENTS 2 AND 3
Clause 1 and After Clause 1
_ Lord Purvis of Tweed to move, as an amendment to the Minister’s motion, at end insert
“, and do propose the following amendments in lieu—
_ Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert “, subject to subsection (2A).
(2A) Sections 2 to 4 of this Act come into force only when the condition in subsection
(Chagossian rights)(1) has been met.”
_ After Clause 5, insert the following new Clause—
“Chagossian rights
(1) The Secretary of State must seek an exchange of letters with the government of
the Republic of Mauritius confirming that the rights set out in subsection (2) will
be legal rights for the Chagossian people.
(2) The rights referred to in subsection (1) are legal rights of Chagossians—
(a) to resettlement on the islands of the Chagos Archipelago other than Diego
Garcia;
(b) to participation in the operation of, and opportunities for working in and
visiting, Diego Garcia; and
(c) to involvement in decision-making relating to the operation of any Trust
Fund established for the benefit of the Chagossian community.
(3) Within 30 days of any such exchange of letters being concluded, the Secretary of
State must lay before both Houses of Parliament a statement—
(a) setting out the assurances received;
(b) explaining whether those assurances will secure the statutory protection
of the rights set out in subsection (2); and
(c) confirming whether the Secretary of State is satisfied with the assurances
received.””
_ Lord Callanan to move, as an amendment to the Minister’s motion, at end insert “, and
do propose the following amendment in lieu—
_ Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert “, subject to subsection (2A).
(2A) Sections 2 to 4 of this Act come into force only when the Secretary of State has—
(a) sought to undertake negotiations with the government of Mauritius on
whether Mauritius will establish a right for Chagossians to return and
reside in the Chagos Islands;
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory
Bill
2

(b) sought, within any negotiations which take place under paragraph (a),
agreement to a referendum for Chagossians on self-determination, funded
by the Republic of Mauritius; and
(c) laid before both Houses of Parliament a report on progress in establishing
negotiations with the government of Mauritius and the outcome of any
negotiations that have taken place.
(2B) Within two months of the report being laid before the House of Commons and
the House of Lords under paragraph (2A)(c), a Minister of the Crown must table
a substantive motion in the House of Commons and the House of Lords on the
contents of the report.””
LORDS AMENDMENT 6
After Clause 5
_ Lord Purvis of Tweed to move, as an amendment to the Minister’s motion, at end insert
“, and do propose the following amendment in lieu—
_ After Clause 5, insert the following new Clause—
“Ceasing payments under the Treaty
Where, at any stage during the operation of the Treaty, the Secretary of State lays
before the House of Commons a report stating that—
(a) in the Secretary of State’s view, the Republic of Mauritius has failed to
honour the provisions of the Treaty which it has undertaken to honour,
(b) the United Kingdom has presented to the Joint Commission a reasoned
case that the Republic of Mauritius has failed to honour those provisions,
and
(c) the process set out in Article 14 of the Treaty has been exhausted,
the Secretary of State must lay before the House of Commons a motion for a
resolution approving the cessation of payments in connection with the Treaty.””
3 Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory
Bill

Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean
Territory Bill
MOTIONS TO BE MOVED
ON CONSIDERATION OF COMMONS REASONS
23 January 2026
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS
59/1 HL Bill 163(c)