Catherine West

Catherine West

Labour — Hornsey and Friern Barnet

Speaking in the House of Commons on 26 February 2025

Debate

British Indian Ocean Territory

Contribution

I will just finish this point. The new UK Government inherited a situation in which the long-term future of the base was under threat. The previous Government obviously agreed with this Government that there was a need to act, and rightly so—otherwise, the two years of negotiations would not have taken place. Successive Conservative Prime Ministers, Foreign Secretaries and Defence Secretaries recognised this and gave instructions to begin negotiations in 2022, holding 11 rounds before July 2024.

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