Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Chagos Islands

Tuesday 2 September 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Government states the net present value of payments under the treaty for Chagos Islands is 3.4 billion.
  • Government claims the average yearly cost of the Chagos Islands deal is 101 million in today's money.
  • Minister highlights the deal will help protect the unique environment of the Chagos archipelago.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
NHS Defence
Context

MP notes the UK government's agreement with Mauritius regarding the Chagos Islands, which has led to significant financial costs.

Question

By not even trying to go to court or argue the case, the Government have cost the taxpayer £30 billion. Does the Minister agree with the Defence Minister who said that the deal represents “good value” for UK taxpayers?

Answer from Stephen Doughty (Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As I have explained many times in the House, those figures are completely misleading. The net present value of payments under the treaty is £3.4 billion. The average cost of the deal in today’s money is £101 million per year. That is just a fraction of our Defence budget, and represents a few hours of spending on our NHS. This Government will not scrimp when it comes to the national security of the United Kingdom and our allies.

Answered
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Q2 Emily Thornberry Lab Islington South and Finsbury
Foreign Affairs Environment
Context

The MP raises concerns about the lack of financial allocation for environmental protection in the Chagos Islands, highlighting communication issues between Mauritius and British scientific community.

Question

Given that no additional money has been secured or ringfenced for environmental protection; given that no one who would be involved in the administration of the marine protected area has so much as visited the archipelago; given the very little communication between the Mauritius Government and the British scientific community, who currently protect the area; and given that it is not clear whether the dispute mechanism set out in the treaty can even be used if the UK deems that Mauritius is in breach of its marine protection commitments, what are the Minister’s hopes for this absolutely unique and priceless marine protected area? Can that all be fixed by the memorandum of understanding?

Answer from Stephen Doughty (Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I thank my right hon. Friend for her interest in this important issue, which she and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee have raised with me previously. The Government have secured a deal that will help to protect the unique environment of the Chagos archipelago, supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius, under which we will support Mauritius’s ambition to establish a marine protected area to protect the globally significant ecosystems to which she refers. The agreement of the terms of the technical support and assistance is a priority within the ongoing implementation process with Mauritius.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address specific financial allocation or communication issues directly, instead focusing on general partnership and ambition.

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Q3 Andrew Rosindell Reform Romford
Foreign Affairs
Context

The MP criticizes the cost implications of the UK government's agreement with Mauritius, highlighting a figure of £34.7 billion.

Question

The Government have now been forced to admit the real cost of the catastrophic Chagos surrender deal: it is not £3.4 billion—oh no, Mr Speaker—it is a mind blowing £34.7 billion, which is 10 times more that we were told. No wonder Mauritius is planning tax cuts of its own, and it is British businesses and families who will pay the price. This deal leaves our country poorer, our defence capabilities damaged and our standing in the world weakened. Will the Minister now apologise to the British people for this epic failure in diplomacy, withdraw his Chagos surrender Bill and keep the islands British?

Answer from Stephen Doughty (Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

How ever many times the hon. Gentleman, the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel) or the Conservative party in its emails to supporters make this claim about the cost, it does not mean that it is true—it is not. The £30 billion figure is inaccurate and misleading. It is wrong to ignore the cost of inflation and the change in the value of money, over the real cost of a deal that lasts 99 years. The figures are verified by the Government Actuary’s Department, drawing on long-established methodology.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister avoided addressing the specific requests to apologize and withdraw the bill, focusing instead on refuting the cost claims.

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