MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Keir Starmer: “Falklands are British and will remain British; it's personal for me”

PM Starmer addressing House of Commons

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made a conclusive statement of support for the Falkland Islands during the Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, hoping to put an end to speculations over the future of British Overseas Territories following on the decision to hand the Chagos archipelago sovereignty (British Indian Ocean Overseas Territory) to the Republic of Mauritius.

In his blunt statement to the Commons, 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. 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 the economy. I'm very clear about the Falklands. It's personal to me.”

But despite the firmness of Starmer's statement, there was some confusion since during the Falklands war the only vessel to be torpedoed, and by the British, was the cruiser General Belgrano

This moved No. 10 office to later clarify the claim about the uncle, since yes he was in the war, but as a crew member of HMS Antelope which was sunk during the battle to recover the Islands in the Falkland Sound, better known as “bomb alley”.

It all started when Liberal Democrat Ed Davey asked the PM to “ensure that British citizens, fishing off the Falklands, can sail proudly under the Union Jack”.

And that is when Starmer immediately responded that his uncle almost lost his life in the Falklands conflict, “when his ship was torpedoed defending the Falklands”. He added, “Falklands are British and will remain British, it is personal to me”.

Likewise in the House of Lords there was an overwhelming statement on support of the Falklands, and Gibraltar, from Jenny Chapman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Latin America and Caribbean. She said, “our unequivocal and longstanding clarity of this government that the future of the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar lies squarely, wholly and arguably in the hands of the Falkland Islanders and the Gibraltarians”.

The Labour government’s decision last week to hand sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius prompted fierce criticism from the Conservatives and concerns about the future of the UK's other overseas territories. But Conservatives are also in the final stages of a leadership contest and bashing a rather unsettled fresh Labor government has become a prime source of attacks.

Another controversy front comes from Argentina and its sovereignty claim over the Falklands Islands. In a divided cabinet in the current Argentine government doves feel the Chagos hand over is a positive move for the diplomatic long term recovery of the Islands while hawks are still furious over a recent agreement to facilitate Falklands connectivity and share South Atlantic fisheries information.