David Cameron has declared Britain is ready to defend the Falkland Islands ‘forever’ as he delivered a stark message to Argentina’s new president.
The Foreign Secretary, speaking in Falklands’ capital Stanley last night, rubbished claims from Javier Milei there could be a negotiation over the future of the islands.
Mr Milei took office in Buenos Aires in December and has suggested a Hong Kong-style agreement could see Britain hand sovereignty of the archipelago to Argentina.
But Lord Cameron pushed back and promised, as long as Falkland residents want to remain tied to the UK, then Britain will ‘protect and defend them’.
‘As long as the Falkland Islands want to be part of the UK family they are absolutely welcome to be part of that family,’ he said.
‘And we will support them and back them and help protect and defend them absolutely, as far as I’m concerned, for as long as they want.
‘And I hope that’s for a very, very long time, possibly forever.’
David Cameron has declared Britain is ready to defend the Falkland Islands ‘forever’ as he delivered a stark message to Argentina’s new president
The Foreign Secretary, on a visit to the South Atlantic archipelago, rubbished claims from Javier Milei there could be a negotiation over the future of the islands
Lord Cameron visited a museum in Goose Green on his trip to the Falklands. His visit is the first by a foreign secretary since 1994 and the first by any Cabinet minister since 2016
The Foreign Secretary attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Falklands War memorial in Port Stanley
Javier Milei took office in Buenos Aires in December and has suggested a Hong Kong-style agreement could see Britain hand sovereignty of the archipelago to Argentina
Argentina, which refers to the Falkland Islands as ‘Islas Malvinas’, retains its sovereignty claim to the archipelago despite nearly 200 years of British control of the islands.
The long-running dispute spilled over into military conflict during the 1982 Falklands War.
In 2013, Falkland Islands residents voted overwhelmingly (by 99.8 per cent) to keep their status as a British Overseas Territory in a referendum.
Lord Cameron, who was defeated as PM at the EU referendum in 2016, referred to the Falklands’ vote in 2013 in a quip to a community reception last night.
‘I think your referendum went rather better than one of mine,’ he was reported to have said.
Lord Cameron’s visit to the Falkland Islands is the first by a foreign secretary since 1994 and the first by any Cabinet minister since 2016.
The shadow of the Falklands War hangs over UK-Argentine relations, but Lord Cameron and Mr Milei had a ‘warm and cordial’ meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
On the issue of the islands, the Foreign Office said ‘they would agree to disagree, and do so politely’.
Lord Cameron told reporters in Stanley: ‘Now of course we want to have good relations with Buenos Aires, with the Argentine government.
‘The new government, I think, have taken some positive steps and we’ll have good relations with them, but it will never be at the expense of the wishes of the Falkland Islanders, who in our view absolutely come first in this manner.’
Lord Cameron met local people at Goose Green. He promised, as long as Falkland residents want to remain tied to the UK, then Britain will ‘protect and defend them’
The ex-PM visited San Carlos cemetery on the Falklands. It contains the graves of 14 soldiers and marines who died during the 1982 Falklands War, plus one soldier who died in 1984
Lord Cameron shares a laugh during his attendance at the wreath-laying ceremony in Port Stanley
Lord Cameron also faced questions about the UK’s attitude towards energy policy in the Falklands – which has potential for both renewable development and the exploitation of oil reserves.
The Foreign Secretary said the Falklands were ‘making some great steps in terms of renewable energy, particularly in terms of wind power, and also solar power and so we very much backed you in that’.
‘You have your own government making their own plans and we will support you in that,’ he said.
‘But I would just stress, while we support Net Zero very, very strongly, it is Net Zero.
‘And so we in the United Kingdom, we’re making sure we are actually going to be having some extra North Sea licences for oil and gas in the North Sea.
‘And we think other countries, if they can responsibly extract hydrocarbons, that can be part of that zero because of course we’re still going to need oil and gas in the short term while we transition. I think that’s an important point to make. It’s Net Zero, not zero.’
He indicated the UK could be prepared to back the Falkland Islands government to use its own financial clout and borrowing power to support oil exploration.
Later today, Lord Cameron will then travel on to Paraguay, where he will be the first UK Foreign Secretary to ever visit the country.
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