Member

The noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, made the point very well about seeking to ensure that Parliament approves any future defence or security use of the Chagos Archipelago by any country other than the UK or United States. The Government’s argument is that Annex 1(3) deals with the Chagos Archipelago beyond Diego Garcia and sets out all the obligations as to what can happen. The key word in Annex 1(3)(d) is the first one: “except”. It lays out one small but important area where there could be some move away from what is laid out in the rest of the treaty; in other words, where there is a humanitarian emergency or natural disaster. I would point the noble Baroness to that as to why her amendment is not necessary in those circumstances, although it gives me the chance to clarify that.