Lords Committee considers the implications of the recent Chagos Islands deal

The session will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be:

10:00am

• Professor Philippe Sands KC, Professor of the Public Understanding of Law, University College, London; and
• Professor Richard Ekins KC (Hon), Professor of Law and Constitutional Government, St John’s College, University of Oxford

10:45am

• Darshana Baruah, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Indo-Pacific Defence and Strategy, IISS–Asia;
• Cleo Paskal, Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; and
• Dr Bryan Wilson, Scientific Advisor, Chagos Conservation Trust.

11:30am

• Professor Alessio Patalano, Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia at the Department of War Studies and Co-Director of the Centre for Grand Strategy, King's College, London;
• Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow, US strategy in Asia, American Enterprise Institute; and
• Dr Thomas Withington, Associate Fellow and expert in electronic warfare and air defence, Royal United Services Institute.

Questions will include: 

• How do you assess the Government’s claim that UK security interests would be jeopardised in the absence of an agreement with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago? Was a treaty necessary, or could the UK have continued to resist legal pressure rather than agreeing to transfer sovereignty?  Questions will include: 
• How do you assess the Government’s claim that UK security interests would be jeopardised in the absence of an agreement with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago? Was a treaty necessary, or could the UK have continued to resist legal pressure rather than agreeing to transfer sovereignty?    
• What impact does the treaty have on the rights of the Chagossian
• How would any disputes between the UK and the US be managed? If Mauritius were to challenge the UK’s interpretation of the agreement or breach the treaty, what legal remedies would be available to the UK (and the US) under both the treaty and international law?  community?
• How critical is the UK–US base on Diego Garcia to UK defence interests and broader Western security strategy in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in light of rising tensions with China and increasing competition in the Indian Ocean
• How credible are concerns regarding Mauritius’ economic and political alignment with China, and what strategic implications might this have for Western defence interests in the Indian Ocean region?
• Do you foresee any operational or strategic risks arising from the rights and guarantees set out in Annex I of the treaty, particularly in relation to the long-term security and flexibility of UK–US activities on Diego Garcia?