Legislation which would hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been supported by MPs, despite concerns of a “secret deal with China”.
The Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill was passed at third reading by 320 votes to 171, majority 149.
It follows a treaty signed by the UK Government in May to cede the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) to Mauritius.
The UK will retain control over the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia for at least 99 years, at an average annual cost of £101 million, under the agreement.
As MPs debated the Bill on Monday, shadow Foreign Office minister Wendy Morton suggested Mauritius was having discussions “in secret” with China and Russia, and Reform UK MP Danny Kruger also raised concerns over a “secret deal with China”.
However, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said this was “absolute nonsense”, telling the Commons foreign forces would be prohibited from building bases in the archipelago.
Speaking at committee stage, Ms Morton said: “Promises given by ministers that nothing can happen in the Chagos Archipelago that threatens our interests are already being undermined.
“Mauritius is already in discussions with India about a role they can play in security in the archipelago, and yet the UK is not even in the room.
“If these discussions are taking place without the UK with a friendly country, one can only wonder what discussions are taking place in secret with China and Russia. There has been a report that China is already negotiating with Mauritius for Peros Banhos.”
Mr Doughty said: “I want to say on that point, that this is absolute nonsense, and is she willing to provide any evidence that this is going to take place?
“This treaty protects the security of the outer islands and expressly prohibits foreign forces building bases on them, something that her government did not succeed in their negotiations.”
Ms Morton went on to say: “If there are discussions taking place, it would undermine the assurances ministers have given to this House and be an act of bad faith on the part of Mauritius.”
She claimed the Government is “failing to take seriously” the threats China poses to Diego Garcia and the UK’s military assets.
Mr Doughty later said the Conservatives “have raised China, they’ve raised Russia, they’ve raised Iran – why does she think that the United States, our closest security ally, back this deal if there was any possibility of any of the fantasy things that she’s suggesting taking place?”.
He added: “They can’t take place. The treaty prevents them. She clearly hasn’t read it.”
Ms Morton replied: “It can be very easy to back something when you don’t have to pay for it.”
Former chairman of the defence and intelligence committees Sir Julian Lewis said the deal only made sense if the Government had decided to have a “strategic economic partnership with Communist China”.
The Conservative MP for New Forest East said: “The closing of the case with the China spies makes sense.
“The willingness to have China have the biggest embassy of any country makes sense.
“None of it makes sense, or all of it makes sense, as long as the national security adviser wants us to suck up to Communist China.”
Mr Kruger, East Wiltshire MP, said: “We’ve heard how baffling this decision to surrender the Chagos Islands is, and the only rational decision that can account for it is some kind of secret deal with China. I don’t know if that’s the case.”
Mr Doughty said he took “serious issue” with the suggestion, adding: “Why then does the United States, our Five Eyes partners, or other key allies, support this deal?
“It protects our national security, it secures the base on Diego Garcia. Why would they support it? It’s no secret deal. It’s absolute nonsense.”
The minister said “outrageous and nonsensical arguments” had been raised during the debate on the legislation.
He added: “China has been raised erroneously on many occasions, but we have negotiated robust security provisions to protect the UK and the base for decades to come, and this includes a strict ban on any foreign security forces, including the Chinese, across the archipelago.”
The Bill will face further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later date.
