Keir Starmer declares Falkland Islands belong to Britain as he hits back at Donald Trump's threat to review sovereignty

Ed Griffiths
Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:01:13 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer has declared the Falkland Islands belong to Britain after a leaked Pentagon memo suggested the US could pull support for UK sovereignty as punishment for its response to Iran.
An email circulating outlines potential US responses to what it sees as inadequate support from Nato allies in the Iran conflict, including a reassessment of its stance on the Falkland Islands.

Downing Street insisted the UK's "long-standing" stance on the British territory remains "unchanged."

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "We could not be clearer about the UK’s position on the Falkland Islands. It’s long standing. It’s unchanged."

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He added: "Sovereignty rests with the UK, and the Islands’ right to self determination is paramount.

"That’s been our consistent position and will remain the case.

"The PM has been clear repeatedly that he won’t be pressured.

"He will always take a strong position on the UK’s national interests, and the Falklands is no different to that.”

The memo expresses frustration over some allies’ reluctance to join the war or grant the US access to airbases and overflight rights (ABO) for Operation Fury, the paused US-Israeli offensive against Iran.

It was written that ABO is "just the absolute baseline for Nato", according to an anonymous US official.

The official added that options for punishing Nato allies were being circulated among senior Pentagon staff.

The note considered reviewing support for longstanding European “imperial possessions”.

The Falkland Islands, which were first visited by English explorers some 120 years before Argentina became an independent state, are a self-governing British overseas territory.

Residents overwhelmingly voted (99.8 per cent) to remain British in a 2013 referendum.

The remote archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean is located about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America and east of the Strait of Magellan.

Britain went to war with Argentina over the islands in 1982, where 225 British soldiers lost their lives defending the territory, as well as 650 Argentine soldiers.

King Charles III remains head of state, with a governor representing the Crown.

Reacting to the reports, Shadow Home Secretary Priti Patel told GB News: “Keir Starmer must protect British sovereignty and show he actually cares about the United Kingdom.

"Allies and adversaries alike can see Starmer’s feebleness and this is what they are looking to exploit.

"Britain needs a leader, not a lawyer, who has failed to ask basic questions about our national security and who is putting Britain’s standing in the world in jeopardy."

Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom and Heritage Foundation, was appalled by the suggestion made in the memo, calling it "disgusting", calling for the individual who wrote the email to "come forward".

He said, speaking to the People's Channel: "It is an appalling and disgusting proposal - there is zero chance of President Trump supporting this position.

"If Washington took this position it would be the end of US-UK relations, so you are not going to see the administration backing this - I expect the memo to be shot down."

He continued: "Whoever wrote this memo should come forward as it is a monumentally stupid position to put forward - it is fundamentally against both US and the UK's interests."

The Thatcher-era aide concluded by calling it the "most stupid proposal by a US official in decades".

Argentina's President Javier Milei is an ally of President Trump's.

Whereas the special relationship between the UK and the US is going through a rough patch, with Mr Trump verbally attacking Sir Keir Starmer, often over social media, over his unwillingness to send military power to the Middle East.

The US President said Sir Keir was "no Winston Churchill" and described the UK's naval vessels as "toys".

Speaking to GB News, former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis said: "I think this is posturing by the Americans. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pentagon accidentally leaked this document. It's sending a message to Nato countries.

"I think this is sending a message. But Argentina has no lawful claim to the Falkland Islands. The Falklands have been British since before Argentina existed as a country."

Kemi Badenoch added: "The Falkland Islands are British. They have been for a very long time. The sovereignty is British sovereignty. This is one of the things that worries me about the changing world.

"I'm not like Keir Starmer giving away the Chagos Islands and surrendering British territory. We need to make sure that we back the Falklands. They are British territory."

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