Reading the bill’s publication files and writing a plain-English Green Book note…
Reading the bill’s publication files and writing a plain-English Green Book note…
Proposal 4139
A Bill to affirm and protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory; to make provision restricting the cession or transfer of sovereignty without the approval of Parliament and without the consent of the Chagossian people; to provide for the protection of the Territory’s strategic and defence importance; and for connected purposes.
Appraisal prepared just now from the official papers. Next scheduled update after the next sitting or within about 24 hours.
Sponsor: Lord Weir of Ballyholme, Democratic Unionist Party
Open publications on bills.parliament.ukPlain-English note and Green Book five-case reading from the official papers — the heart of this page.
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In plain English
A bill to Affirm and protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory; to make provision restricting the cession or transfer of sovereignty without the approval of Parliament and without the consent of the Chagossian people; to provide for the protection of the Territory’s strategic and defence importance; and for connected purposes.
The papers we read for this bill do not say who would be affected if it became law.
A bill to Affirm and protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory; to make provision restricting the cession or transfer of sovereignty without the approval of Parliament and without the consent of the Chagossian people; to provide for the protection of the Territory’s strategic and defence importance; and for connected purposes.
Same bill, simpler words — a deeper read without the jargon.
Imagine the country is making a new rule. This one is about: A bill to Affirm and protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory; to make provision restricting the cession or transfer of sovereignty without the approval of Parliament and without the consent of the Chagossian people; to provide for the protection of the Territory’s strategic and defence importance; and for connected purposes.. The people who would notice most are: we are still checking who that would be. If it became a real law, the everyday change would be: A bill to Affirm and protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory; to make provision restricting the cession or transfer of sovereignty without the approval of Parliament and without the consent of the Chagossian people; to provide for the protection of the Territory’s strategic and defence importance; and for connected purposes..
Green Book 2026 · 5 Case Model
A bill to Affirm and protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory; to make provision restricting the cession or transfer of sovereignty without the approval of Parliament and without the consent of the Chagossian people; to provide for the protection of the Territory’s strategic and defence importance; and for connected purposes.
It is currently at 2nd reading in the Lords, sponsored by Lord Weir of Ballyholme, Democratic Unionist Party.
Passage signals — procedural trajectory, not a merit judgement
British Sovereignty Protection (Chagos Islands) Bill [HL] is a private member's bill (starting in the lords), currently at 2nd reading in the Lords. It shows signs of running out of parliamentary time, based on how similar bills have progressed.
Lords private members' bills must find a Commons sponsor and Friday time after passing the Lords, so very few become law.
The bill has passed second reading — the vote on its principle, and the stage where most bills that fail are stopped.
Several months have passed without a new sitting and none is scheduled. Bills that stop moving often run out of parliamentary time.
This outlook reads the bill's procedural trajectory only — its type, the stage it has reached, and its momentum — against how similar bills have historically progressed through Parliament. It is not a score, not a judgement on the bill's merits, and not a recommendation to support or oppose it. It sits alongside, and separate from, the Green Book five-case appraisal.
These UK Acts sit in a similar policy space and are already law. Pairing uses this proposal’s official papers (and the plain-English note themes). It is not a verdict that the proposal is redundant or unnecessary.
UK Act · Royal Assent · 2025-01-17
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Act 2025
Nearby policy wording to this bill. Matched using wording from this bill’s official papersAlready law — context only, not a verdict on whether the new bill is needed.
UK Act · Royal Assent · 2021-04-23
Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Act 2020
Nearby policy wording to this bill. Matched using wording from this bill’s official papersAlready law — context only, not a verdict on whether the new bill is needed.
UK Act · Royal Assent · 2015-03-27
International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015
Nearby policy wording to this bill. Matched using wording from this bill’s official papersAlready law — context only, not a verdict on whether the new bill is needed.
UK Act · Royal Assent · 2014-03-14
International Development (Gender Equality) Act
Nearby policy wording to this bill. Matched using wording from this bill’s official papersAlready law — context only, not a verdict on whether the new bill is needed.
UK Act · Royal Assent · 2007-10-27
International Tribunals (Sierra Leone) Act 2007
Nearby policy wording to this bill. Matched using wording from this bill’s official papersAlready law — context only, not a verdict on whether the new bill is needed.
Nearby instruments in a similar policy space — lighter context while you read this UK proposal. Not a ranking, and not a recommendation.
Enacted 2026-07-20 (No. 27 of 2026)
Bill entitled an Act to amend the Planning and Development Act 2024, the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025 and the Planning and Development Act 2000, and, in that connection, to amend certain other enactments; to amend the Housing Finance Agency Act 1981 for the purpose of increasing the borrowing limit of the Housing Finance Agency; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Matched via Oireachtas search for “foreign international” (International).
Open sourceEU instrument (CELEX 32021R0947)
EU external-action financing peer reference.
Selected as the closest EU peer for the “International” policy category. EU law uses directives/regulations, not Commons/Lords stages.
Open source