Chagos deal proves Falklands could be Argentine again, says country’s president

Robert Jenrick says the Prime Minister has made every British sovereign territory ‘up for grabs’

Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands proves the Falklands could belong to Argentina again, the president of the country has said.
The Prime Minister gave up the Chagos Islands earlier this month as he handed the Indian Ocean territory to Mauritius.
The move has sparked fears over the futures of both the Falklands and Gibraltar, also British Overseas Territories, despite the governor of the Falklands insisting that the territory would remain safely under British control.
Javier Milei, the Argentine president, said that under the previous government the Falklands “were never going to be Argentine again” but he now hoped that they would be under Labour.
He told the Financial Times: “If you are in conflict, you are not going to make any progress.
“With what the previous government was doing, they were never going to be Argentine again.”
Noting that years of diplomatic negotiations between Britain and Mauritius had preceded the handover, Mr Milei added: “By that mechanism, we believe that in the long term [the islands] will become Argentine again.”
Argentina claimed the Falklands in 1816 before Britain installed a governor on the islands in 1833 and took control by expelling remaining Argentine military chiefs.
The islands were then invaded by Argentina in 1982, leading to the Falklands War which Britain won.
Falkland Islanders were then given British citizenship and they voted overwhelmingly in 2013 for their islands to remain a British Overseas Territory.
Critics of Sir Keir said Mr Milei’s comments were proof that signing away the Chagos Islands would now create a dangerous precedent.
Robert Jenrick, the Tory leadership hopeful, told The Telegraph: “Keir Starmer has posted a sign on every piece of sovereign territory saying ‘up for grabs’.
“The inevitable consequence of his capitulation will be nations around the world coming for each of our precious overseas territories.”
Grant Shapps, a former defence secretary, said Downing Street should “hang its head in shame” and that Britain’s position on the world stage had been undermined.
“The extraordinary sell-out of Chagos is a national disgrace. It has such obvious read-across that this Government should hang its head in shame for having seriously damaged Britain’s international standing and exposing UK nationals to danger elsewhere in the world.”
Mark Francois, a former armed forces minister, added: “Not only is the decision to surrender the Chagos Islands a strategic disaster, it was inevitable that it would embolden Argentina to revive their false claim over the Falklands.
“This hapless Government is totally naive when it comes to security and foreign policy and our adversaries can clearly see it.”
Argentina has long claimed the Falklands should be returned to its control and Mr Milei pledged earlier this year to set out a diplomatic “roadmap” for their return.
“I want to reiterate our unwavering claim for the islands,” he said. “I commit that during our government we will have a clear roadmap so that the Malvinas return to Argentine hands.”
Suggesting he would go further than his predecessors, he said the push to regain control of the Falklands had to consist of more than “mere words in international forums”.
Sir Keir initially refused to rule out ending British control of the Falklands and Gibraltar despite an immediate backlash to his Chagos Islands agreement.
When asked earlier this month to guarantee no other territories would be given away, the Prime Minister avoided the question altogether.
Days later, however, he told the Commons: “[The Falklands] are British, and they will remain British. It’s personal to me. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is equally not going to be negotiated.”
Alison Blake, the governor of the Falklands, attempted on the day of the Chagos deal to reassure residents that Britain’s commitment to the islands was “unwavering”.
In a message to her countrymen, she said: “I would like to reassure you that the legal and historical contexts of the Chagos Archipelago and the Falkland Islands are very different.
“UK ministers have been very clear throughout the process that the UK will not agree to anything that runs the risk of jeopardising sovereignty in other Overseas Territories.
“The UK Government remains committed to defending the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination, and the UK’s unwavering commitment to defend UK sovereignty remains undiminished.”
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is not up for negotiation.”