Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)

My Lords, with regard to the 1966 treaty, it is worth acknowledging that Article 2 is the basis upon which, under the euphemism of what the treaty calls an administrative measure, the expulsion of a population from that archipelago, and its forced depopulation, took place. That treaty is the basis on which this Government, and, I hope, every subsequent Government, will feel shame. However, that treaty is the basis of the relationship with the United States. Therefore, it is quite extraordinary that the terms under Article 11, which stated that the treaty would expire in 2017 and then have an automatic extension for 20 years, were not chosen to be extended by the previous Conservative Government. This treaty—which we should now all depend upon for our long-term security relationship with the United States—would, under the previous Government, run out in 2037. Article 1 of the treaty, however, states that “The Territory shall remain under United Kingdom sovereignty”. Can the Minister confirm whether, when the previous Government opened negotiations with Mauritius on the basis of ceding sovereignty, there were any diplomatic messages to our ally the United States that Article 1 needed to be reviewed and updated?