The UK–Mauritius agreement on the Chagos Archipelago has been signed, but it has not taken effect. The UK bill intended to implement it stopped progressing when Parliament’s 2024–26 session ended on 29 April 2026. The UK says it is still engaging with Mauritius, but has given no public timetable for the treaty or a replacement bill. That leaves the future of resettlement uncertain for displaced Chagossians.
What is the latest on the Chagos deal?
The two governments signed the agreement on 22 May 2025. The agreement has not entered into force, and the UK’s Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill did not complete its passage before the 2024–26 parliamentary session ended on 29 April 2026.
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In written answers dated 15 and 21 September 2026, the UK Government said it continued to engage with Mauritius. It declined to provide a running commentary on those discussions. The answers confirm continuing engagement, but do not explain what is being negotiated or set out a legislative route forward.
Al Jazeera reported in September that renewed talks had brought the issue back onto the diplomatic agenda. It said Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke on 21 September about working with Mauritius and the United States on a way forward, and that Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam travelled to the UK on 26 September for talks with National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and officials. Those reported developments do not establish the content of the private discussions or a timetable for putting the treaty into effect.
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Why has implementation stalled?
The immediate obstacle is legislative: the UK bill stopped when the parliamentary session ended, while the treaty itself remains out of force. The UK’s public statements confirm that it is still talking with Mauritius, but do not say whether a new bill will be introduced, when that might happen, or when the agreement could enter into force. No ratification date is established.
That distinction matters. Renewed talks may keep the agreement alive diplomatically, but they do not by themselves implement it or make its provisions effective.
What would the agreement change?
The treaty’s central exchange is Mauritian sovereignty over the whole archipelago alongside continuing UK authority over the Diego Garcia military base. Its provisions also allow Mauritius to arrange resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia.
| Issue | What the agreement provides |
|---|---|
| Sovereignty | Mauritius would exercise sovereignty over the whole Chagos Archipelago. |
| Diego Garcia base | The UK would retain rights and authorities over the base for an initial 99 years. The period may be extended by 40 years if both parties agree, with further extension possible under the treaty. |
| Resettlement | Mauritius may arrange resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia. |
| Payments | The House of Commons Library reports an annual average of £101 million for 99 years, in 2025/26 prices, or around £3.4 billion in total. The Government Actuary’s Department verified the estimate. These are treaty payment terms, not money already paid. |
Why do delays matter to Chagossians?
Al Jazeera’s 2 October 2026 report says an estimated 1,400 to 1,700 Chagossians were removed from the islands between 1968 and 1973. That is an estimate reported by the outlet, not an official census figure. The treaty’s resettlement provision offers a possible route back to islands in the archipelago, but it cannot be used under an agreement that has not taken effect.
The report describes elderly displaced Chagossians fearing that further delay could mean they will not live to see a return. It also describes younger diaspora members’ concerns about losing connections to language, recipes and cultural practices. University of Edinburgh anthropology researcher Chrisyl Wong-Hang-Sun told the outlet about cultural loss and the need for both governments to engage the Chagossian diaspora as a whole; those are her observations, not results from a population-wide survey.
“At one funeral, we scattered sand from Chagos into an elder’s tomb to honour his unfulfilled wish to breathe his last in his homeland.”
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The report presents different Chagossian political positions. The Chagos Refugees Group, represented by Bancoult, supports return. UK-based second-generation Chagossian Misley Mandarin and supporters prefer resettlement under British rather than Mauritian sovereignty. Neither position should be taken as representing all Chagossians; the reviewed reporting does not establish a population-wide figure for how many want to return.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens to the Diego Garcia base?
Diego Garcia is the largest island in the archipelago and hosts a joint UK–US military base. It is excluded from the treaty’s resettlement provision. Under the deal, Mauritian sovereignty over the archipelago would coexist with UK rights and authorities over the base for the initial 99-year period, subject to the treaty’s extension provisions.
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Supporters present the arrangement as a way to preserve long-term base operations while settling the sovereignty dispute. Opponents cited in Al Jazeera’s report object to continued military use and raise security, sovereignty and moral concerns. These are competing political arguments; the agreement’s provisions do not resolve those disagreements.
Quick Recap
What remains unresolved?
- Whether the UK will introduce a replacement bill, and when.
- When, or whether, the treaty will enter into force.
- What the renewed UK–Mauritius discussions cover; the UK has declined to detail them.
- The United States’ position in the private talks, which has not been established in the public information reviewed.
- How resettlement would be arranged in practice if the treaty takes effect.
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