Doughty dismissed Farage’s criticism, arguing that legal uncertainty over the Chagas threatened the “safe and efficient operation” of the Diego Garcia base.
He added that given previous findings against the UK, a legally binding ruling on the side of Mauritius’s sovereignty claim at some point “seemed inevitable”, creating legal uncertainty over a base that was “fragile”.
He said the agreement contained measures to prevent a foreign presence in the “outer islands” and was also welcomed by all parts of the “US system”.
He added that the UK looked forward to working with the Trump administration, saying: “I’m sure they will be briefed on all the details of this deal.
“I am confident that the details of this arrangement will allay any concerns.”
Talks on the deal began under the previous Conservative government in 2022, but several senior Tories have also spoken out against the deal.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel, who left the government two months before the Rishi Sunak-led talks began, said the deal would “hand over a key strategic asset” in the Indian Ocean.
Other Tories who have criticized the deal include James Cleverley, who himself took part in the talks as foreign secretary but later described Labour’s proposed deal as “weak”.
