Sir Keir Starmer gives update on future of Falklands and Gibraltar

It comes after the UK handed over an overseas territory and Argentina said it would take back 'Las Malvinas'

The Falklands are British and will remain British, Prome Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told the Commons. He was speaking after a deal saw the British Chagos Islands handed over.

The Prime Minister said: “My uncle nearly lost his life when his ship was torpedoed defending the Falklands, they are British, and they will remain British. And sovereignty in Gibraltar is equally not to be negotiated. Of course we will do everything we can to make it easier for all businesses to trade more freely so that we can grow our economy. I’ve been very clear about the Falklands, it’s personal to me.”

His comments came in response to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who said: “He’s right to say one of the many problems for our economy coming from the dreadful Brexit deal was the red tape that is being put on businesses. Now there are many examples of that, but a new example came to me earlier this week and it affects fisherman in the Falklands, who are otherwise having to pay huge amounts in tariffs to be able to sell their produce into the European market, or sail under a Spanish flag.

“So when the Prime Minister renegotiates the trade deal, can he remember the overseas territories and ensure that British citizens fishing off the Falklands can sail proudly under the Union Jack?”

Argentina has vowed to gain “full sovereignty” of the Falkland Islands after the UK gave up control of a remote archipelago in return for securing the future of a strategically important military base. The country’s foreign minister, Diana Mondino, welcomed the step taken by Sir Keir Starmer’s Government on Thursday towards ending “outdated practices” after Britain returned the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

She promised “concrete action” to ensure that the Falklands – the British-controlled archipelago that Argentina calls the Malvinas and claims as its own – are handed to Buenos Aires. In an intervention that will fuel rising Tory criticism of the UK-Mauritius agreement and its perceived implications for other overseas territories, Ms Mondino said: “The long dispute between Britain and Mauritius came to a conclusion today, with Mauritians successfully regaining their territory of Chagos.

“We welcome this step in the right direction and the end to outdated practices. Following the path we have already taken, with concrete actions and not empty rhetoric, we will recover full sovereignty over our Malvinas Islands. The Malvinas were, are and will always be Argentine.”

In a statement, Falklands governor Alison Blake sought to reassure residents that Britain’s commitment to the South Atlantic territory was “unwavering”. She said the historical context of the two territories was “very different”.

The UK Government said earlier it had reached a political agreement with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, following negotiations which began in 2022. Mauritius will assume sovereignty over the archipelago while the joint US-UK military base remains on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.

The Foreign Office said the agreement means the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure.

The shadow of the Falklands war hangs over UK-Argentine relations, with Buenos Aires invading in 1982 and claiming it inherited the islands from Spain in the 1800s. The conflict resulted in 655 Argentinian, 255 British and three Falkland deaths before British forces regained control.