Friday, October 04, 2024

Sir Keir Starmer defends UK decision after Argentina vows to retake Falkland Islands


The Prime Minister spoke out

Benjamin Blosse
Richard Wheeler and Nina Lloyd
 4 OCT 2024
Welcome to the Falkland Islands sign to greet tourists arriving by tender at Stanley. Visitor centre behind.


Sir Keir Starmer has justified relinquishing UK control of the Chagos Islands after the move led Argentina to vow it would seek to reclaim "full sovereignty" over the Falkland Islands.

The South American county's vow to retake the Falklands came after the UK agreed to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands, remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius yesterday. The Prime Minister stated that the arrangement with Mauritius secures the "single most important thing" - the future of the collaborative US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island within the group.

US President Joe Biden praised the "historic" agreement, emphasising its role in maintaining the "effective operation of the joint facility on Diego Garcia into the next century". The UK and US are expected to extend their military presence on Diego Garcia in a deal lasting 99 years, with Britain contributing an annual sum.

However, critics suggest the move might enable China to establish a military presence in the Indian Ocean, sparking additional concerns about the prospects for other British overseas territories.

And following the announcement, Argentina's Foreign Minister Diana Mondino greeted the UK Government's move towards discontinuing "outdated practices", and pledged "concrete action" towards transferring control of the Falklands, which Argentina refers to as the Malvinas, back to the South American country.

The Falkland Islands (Image: Getty)

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“We welcome this step in the right direction and the end to outdated practices.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.”

Falklands governor Alison Blake issued a statement on Thursday, emphasising the UK's steadfast commitment to the South Atlantic territory, noting that the historical situations of Diego Garcia and the Falklands are "very different". In 1982, the Falklands conflict resulted in the loss of 255 British service personnel while repelling Argentina's invasion.

When pressed to assure that no further British overseas territories would be surrendered under Labour's governance, Sir Keir informed journalists: "The single most important thing was ensuring that we had a secure base, the joint US-UK base; hugely important to the US, hugely important to us.

"We've now secured that and that is why you saw such warm words from the US yesterday."

But former Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticised the idea of relinquishing control over the Chagos Islands as "crazy".

In an interview with Camilla Tominey on GB News, Johnson remarked: "Why are we doing this? Sheer political correctness, desire to look like the good guys, desire to look as though we're unbundling the last relics of our empire.

"It's nonsense. It's a bad idea in hard geopolitical terms, because the base in Diego Garcia is of huge strategic importance for the US, for the West, and it's a key component of the Anglo-American alliance. It's one of the things we bring to the table, has been for decades."

Amidst concerns from Conservative Party leadership candidates, the Prime Minister's special envoy for UK-Mauritius negotiations assured that China would not be permitted to establish a base in the Chagos Islands.

Jonathan Powell has revealed to Times Radio that US officials have been deeply involved in the recent negotiations, stating: "Every single sentence and paragraph has been through an inter-agency process, all of the agencies in Washington. We've secured all of their red lines in that negotiation.

"When you come to see the detailed treaty, which is really quite long with the exchanges of letters, you'll see that this idea of a Chinese base is just hooey. It can't happen, won't happen.

"And also the fact that some of the newspapers have suggested Mauritius is an ally of China it could hardly be further from the truth. Mauritius is very, very close to India and the Indians also have welcomed this agreement because they see it as so important for security in the Indian Ocean.

"Mauritius is one of only two countries in Africa that's not a member of China's Belt and Road (Initiative). So this notion that we've somehow given the Chagos Islands to an ally of China is rubbish, and anyway the negotiations were started by the previous Tory government."

The plight of the Chagossians was also highlighted, noting their forced removal from the central Indian Ocean territory by 1973 to make way for a military base, an act now widely seen as a dark chapter in Britain's modern colonial history. The Chagossians have since been engaged in a lengthy battle to return to their homeland.

The International Court of Justice has previously ruled that the UK's administration of the territory was "unlawful" and must end, adding legal weight to the Chagossians' claims.

Negotiations between the UK and Mauritius to reach a consensus started under the former Conservative government in 2022.

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