Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill Committee: Amendment 7

What happened: The House of Commons voted on Amendment 7 to the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill during its Committee stage on 20 October 2025. The amendment, which sought to modify the terms or conditions of the military base arrangements, was defeated by 321 votes to 174. The government's position was to oppose the amendment, and its majority held comfortably.

Why it matters: The Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill governs the legal framework for the continued operation of a strategically significant military installation in the Indian Ocean, used jointly by the United Kingdom and the United States. Amendment 7 sought to introduce changes focused on accountability or conditions attached to those arrangements. Its defeat means the bill proceeds without those modifications, leaving the government's negotiated terms intact. The outcome directly affects the legal basis on which the base operates, with implications for UK defence commitments, diplomatic agreements with the United States, and the rights associated with the territory.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government's position, while Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, and Traditional Unionist Voice all voted for the amendment. Three independents supported the amendment and six opposed it, while Plaid Cymru and the Greens voted with the government. The Conservatives mustered 95 votes and the Liberal Democrats 64, forming the core of the 174-strong opposition bloc. This pattern repeated across multiple votes on the same bill the same day, with the government winning every division by a similar margin. The bill subsequently passed its Third Reading by 320 votes to 171, confirming that the government's negotiated position on Diego Garcia survived all opposition challenges intact.