Defence Secretary oral statement on Diego Garcia
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-22)

Oral statement from the Defence Secretary John Healey on Diego Garcia.

With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement on the Diego Garcia Military Base.

For more than 50 years, the joint UK-US military base in Diego Garcia has been a launchpad to:

… defeat terrorists…

… prevent threats to our nation…

… and protect our economic security.

This base keeps Britain secure at home and strong abroad.

This afternoon, the Prime Minister has signed a Treaty with Prime Minister Ramgoolam of Mauritius which guarantees full continued UK control of Diego Garcia for the next 99 years and beyond.

I pay tribute to the UK’s negotiators…

… to the FCDO and MOD teams who supported them…

… and to the Mauritian officials who worked for two and a half years with the last government and this, to reach this agreement.

The Foreign Secretary has laid in the House today…

… the full Treaty text and his formal exchange of letters with the Foreign Minister of Mauritius that confirm the agreement and the financial arrangements between our two countries.

A Bill will be introduced soon to implement the Treaty.

There has been a great deal of misinformation about this Treaty [political content removed] – but the simple truth Mr Speaker, is that our national security rests on securing a deal that protects the operational sovereignty of this vital military installation.

By signing this Treaty – on our terms – my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister, has ensured the UK retains full control of Diego Garcia, throughout the next century and beyond.

It is a deal struck in the national interest…

… a deal that makes Britons today and generations to come, safer and more secure.

Mr Speaker, the importance of Diego Garcia cannot be overstated.

Some of the operations on our joint UK-US base are in the public domain.

Most – by necessity – are not.

But all the work conducted from Diego Garcia plays a crucial role in protecting:

… our nation …

… our Armed Forces …

… and our trade routes.

Mr Speaker, Diego Garcia is unique.

We do things there, that we simply could not do anywhere else.

Its airfield allows for strike operations and rapid deployments to the Middle East, East Africa and South Asia…

… its deepwater port supports missions from nuclear-powered submarines to our Carrier Strike Group…

… it hosts surveillance stations which disrupt terrorist attacks, protect satellites and provide global intelligence capabilities…

… and it projects UK-US military power into the Indo-Pacific to reinforce regional stability and security.

Mr Speaker, America is our closest security ally.

And continued use of this base is fundamental to maintaining the special strength of that relationship.

In fact, Diego Garcia is our nation’s most significant contribution to the UK-US security partnership that has kept us safe for nearly eighty years

As I have said, this is a joint military base and almost every operation conducted from it is done in partnership with the US.

This is why, this Treaty has the full-throated support from the US:

Secretary of State – Marco Rubio – has said:

This agreement secures the long term stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia, which is critical to regional and global security.

And President Trump described the deal as “very long term” and “very strong”.

Mr Speaker, Diego Garcia also strengthens Britain’s economic security.

Over one-third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two-thirds of global oil shipments is transported through the Indian Ocean.

Our constant presence in these waters serves to safeguard trade routes, keeping the price of food and energy for Britons down here at home.

Diego Garcia is also the permanent location of critical Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban treaty monitoring equipment…

… a network that watches every moment of every day for evidence of nuclear testing to hold nuclear – and any would-be, nuclear powers – to account.

Diego Garcia is one of just four locations in the world to operate ground station antennas for the Global Positioning System…

… which everyone from astronauts, to motorists, to our military, rely on to navigate.

Mr Speaker, the loss of the Diego Garcia military base would now be unthinkable.

Yet, without action, without this deal, within weeks we could face losing legal rulings…

… and within just a few years the base would become inoperable.

Some have suggested simply ignoring international legal decisions.

But this is not just about international law.

This is about the direct impact of law on our ability to operate the base.

Rulings against us would mean we would be unable to prevent hostile nations setting up installations around Diego Garcia, on the outer islands or carrying out joint exercises near the base.

No deal means we could not guarantee the safe berth of our subs…

… patrol the waters around the base…

… control the airspace directly above…

… or protect the integrity of our communications systems.

Such developments would deeply damage the security interests of the UK and our allies.

It would be a dereliction of our first duty of government.

Agreeing this Treaty now – on our terms – means the UK retains full control over Diego Garcia. Now and for the next century.

We’ve laid before the house the full treaty and associated costings.

The [political content removed] frontbench – will see how we have toughened the terms of the deal they were doing so it does more now to guarantee the UK’s national security and national interests.

At a cost of less than 0.2 per cent of the annual defence budget, we have secured unrestricted access to and use of the base…

… as well as control over movement of all persons and goods on the base, and control of all communication and electronic systems.

Nothing can be built within a 24 nautical mile buffer zone without our say so.

We have secured an effective veto on all development in the Chagos archipelago.

And a strict ban will be imposed on foreign security forces operating on the outer islands.

All provisions that were not there in the draft agreement, that had been negotiated by the [political content removed] before the election.

Mr Speaker, anyone who would abandon this deal, would abandon this base. They would weaken the security of the British people, and they would weaken the strength of the British Armed Forces

But… in signing this deal, a British flag will fly over the Diego Garcia base well into the next century…

… the relationship with our closest security ally will be strengthened…

… and our capacity to deter our adversaries and defend UK interests is secured for generations to come.

And as the world becomes more dangerous, Diego Garcia becomes more important.

This government will never compromise on our national security.

And with this deal, we’ve made Britain more secure at home and stronger abroad.