MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK Overseas Territories Minister accuses Milei of using the Falklands for electoral ends

Minister Uma Kumaran and MLA Jack Ford in discussion following her statement to Parliament

British Overseas Territories Minister Uma Kumaran on Tuesday accused Argentine President Javier Milei of a “brazen attempt to use the people of the Falkland Islands as some sort of political prop ahead of Argentina’s elections next year”, in a statement to the House of Commons watched from the gallery by the Chair of the islands’ Legislative Assembly, Jack Ford.

Kumaran set out a four-part response to what she called “economic coercion”. The Minister for Latin America, Chris Elmore, made the British position clear to the Argentine ambassador on September 17; the government is in contact with the Sea Lion operator and its supply chain and has issued letters of comfort to businesses; the Business Secretary will deploy the protection of trading interests legislation; and the diplomatic network is engaging G7 and G20 partners. “The United Kingdom will prepare additional measures if this situation persists. They will be legal, proportionate and robust,” she warned.

Asked about relations with Uruguay and Chile, the minister said the government is in regular discussion with “friends and allies” in the region, whom she described as “important partners” on the issue. Conservative MPs urged the government to use Britain’s position to block Argentina’s accession to the trans-Pacific trade agreement and the OECD; Kumaran did not commit, though she said Argentina’s conduct “raises very serious questions about its reliability as a partner”.

On defence, she said the patrol ship HMS Medway is operating in the South Atlantic and that the Typhoon fighters deployed will be replaced with more modern versions in 2027. She also announced that the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence will support commemorations next year of the 45th anniversary of the end of the 1982 war. “The United Kingdom never sought this confrontation with the Argentine Government, and less so with the Argentine people,” she said.