Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill Committee: Clause 2 stand part

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 20 October 2025 on whether Clause 2 of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill should remain part of the legislation. Clause 2 concerns the arrangements for the Diego Garcia military base. The motion to keep the clause passed by 318 votes to 174, with the government securing a comfortable majority.

Why it matters: Diego Garcia is one of the most strategically significant military installations in the world, hosting both British and American forces in the Indian Ocean. Clause 2 enshrines in legislation the framework governing the military base arrangements as part of a wider deal relating to sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory. Keeping this clause in the bill means that the legal basis for the base's continued operation will be set in statute, providing certainty for the UK-US defence relationship and the ongoing treaty negotiations with Mauritius, which has long claimed sovereignty over the archipelago.

The politics: The vote divided largely along government-versus-opposition lines. Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs backed the clause unanimously, joined by Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, giving the government its majority. Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and the Democratic Unionist Party all voted against, reflecting a broad but ideologically varied opposition. The Conservatives and Reform opposed the deal on grounds of British sovereignty and strategic risk, while the Greens and some independents voting against were motivated by anti-colonial concerns. The bill's progress through committee stage on the same day included further related votes, and it passed its Third Reading by 320 to 171, suggesting stable government support throughout.