Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill Committee: New Clause 1

Parliament voted on 20 October 2025 on New Clause 1 to the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill, a Conservative proposal that would have required the House of Commons to approve any payment to Mauritius before public money could be spent under the UK-Mauritius treaty. The clause was defeated by 322 votes to 172. The bill implements the treaty under which the UK cedes sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, while retaining rights to operate the Diego Garcia military base. New Clause 1 targeted the financial dimension of that arrangement. Supporters argued that Parliament should authorise spending before it is committed, pointing to a Government Actuary's Department estimate putting the total cost of payments to Mauritius at around £34.7 billion. Opponents of the clause, led by the government, held that existing parliamentary scrutiny mechanisms were adequate and that imposing a fresh approval condition would obstruct implementation of a concluded international agreement. The vote divided almost entirely along opposition-versus-government lines. All 273 Labour and 33 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the clause, giving the government a comfortable majority. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Democratic Unionist Party all voted in favour. The Liberal Democrats supplied 64 of the 172 ayes, making them a significant part of the cross-party opposition bloc. The Greens and Plaid Cymru voted no. The vote was one of several on the same day, with the bill passing its Third Reading by 320 to 171, indicating that the government's majority held firm throughout the committee stage.