The Government has refused to say when it believes the deal with Mauritius for the Chagos Islands will be completed despite Downing Street saying it was being “finalised”.
Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said MPs would get the chance to vote on any agreement, as he said the Bill would include how much the Mauritian government would be paid for the 99-year lease for the military base on Diego Garcia.
Responding to an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Doughty said: “Both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos archipelago, which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia.
“We are now working with Mauritius to finalise the agreement, and while it is in everybody’s interest to progress the deal quickly, we have never put an exact date on it and we do not intend to do so now.
“The Government will bring forward a Bill to enable implementation of the treaty and Parliament will, of course, also have the opportunity to scrutinise the treaty in the usual way before ratification.”
The Government has argued that it has to give up sovereignty over the territory in the Indian Ocean due to international legal rulings in favour of Mauritius.
Reports have suggested the deal could cost £90 million-a-year to secure the use of Diego Garcia, with payments front-loaded to win the support of the Mauritian government.
Mr Doughty added: “The Government inherited a situation where the long-term future of the military base was under threat.
“This deal is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect UK security and that of our allies. It will protect the base on Diego Garcia and cement UK and US presence in the Indo-Pacific for generations to come.”
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel urged the Government to “ditch” the deal, arguing the “British Indian Ocean Territory should remain British”.
Dame Priti criticised ministers for not giving MPs any indication the deal was being finalised during a Commons questions session on Tuesday, despite Downing Street saying later that day that it was close to being concluded.
She added: “We are still completely in the dark about the fundamental questions of this enormous importance, how many billions of hard-pressed taxpayers’ British money will be expected to fork out to lease back the territory we already own?”
Dame Priti continued: “The British Indian Ocean Territory should remain British but Labour have prioritised appeasing the whims of left-wing lawyers and activists rather than standing up for our national interest. It’s high time this … deal was ditched.”
Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “How much will taxpayers pay for this settlement, and out of which budget will it come? Is there a guarantee that at no stage will it come from the defence budget increase?”
Mr Doughty would not be drawn on how much money the deal would involve.
He said: “A financial element over 99 years was crucial to protect the operation of such a vital base. We won’t scrimp on our security and once a treaty is signed it will be put before the House for scrutiny before ratification in the usual way, and that will include costs.”
He added: “The terms of the treaty and the associated funding arrangements are still being finalised and financial obligations including departmental budgetary responsibilities will of course be managed responsibly with the Government’s fiscal framework.”
Conservative former Foreign Office minister Andrew Murrison said the US had increased its presence on the base, adding: “Given that, how much will the Trump White House be contributing to the endowment that the minister proposes to hand to Mauritius?”
Mr Doughty said: “We welcome the fact that the United States recognises the strength of this deal, and that’s because it is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect our security, that of the United States, our presence in the Indo-Pacific.”
Concerns have also been raised that exiled Chagossians have not been adequately consulted during the Government’s negotiations of a deal.
Attorney General Lord Hermer was asked if he was confident that the rights of Chagos Islanders have been properly observed.
“I am sure that if a settlement is secured, it will be one that secures vital United Kingdom interests and it will be one that is fair to all people impacted by it,” he told a parliamentary human rights committee.
