Nigel Farage would decisively respond to any attempt by Argentina to seize the Falkland Islands if he were Prime Minister, according to claims made by Robert Jenrick, a Member of Parliament.
Tensions concerning the British overseas territory have recently intensified after Argentinian President Javier Milei renewed his country's claim to the islands. President Milei's administration has also initiated measures to restrict oil exploration activities around the Falklands.
Amidst these escalating disputes, Jenrick, the Treasury spokesman for the Reform UK party, asserted that Farage would employ "every lever of the British state" to protect the islands should he assume leadership in Downing Street. Jenrick suggested that President Milei would refrain from considering any territorial claims if Farage held the position of Prime Minister.
"If Nigel Farage was our PM, we would use every lever of the British state - our Armed Forces, our economic sanctions, everything - to defend the Falklands," Jenrick told reporters. "And we would crush Argentina."
Jenrick made these remarks at the Reform UK conference in Birmingham, criticizing the current government's handling of the Falklands dispute. "Let me tell you this, Mr Milei down in Argentina would not for one minute think about taking our British sovereign territory in the Falkland Islands if Nigel Farage was our PM," he stated to party members.
Earlier, President Milei's office announced sanction proceedings against 45 individuals and companies as part of a crackdown on oil exploration in the region. The Argentinian government indicated that further proceedings could target shareholders and service providers involved in these oil projects.
In a national address on Friday, Milei reiterated Argentina's claim to the Falklands and declared his intention to impose sanctions on oil companies operating in the area.
The renewed tensions follow comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested that the United States might not support the United Kingdom in a future Falklands conflict. Responding to Milei's address, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband affirmed on X that "The UK's position on the Falkland Islands is unwavering. The Islands are British and will remain so because that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders. Their right of self-determination is paramount, grounded in international law and we will resolutely uphold it."
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting echoed this sentiment, stating that the UK's commitment to the Falklands was "absolute and unshakeable." However, Downing Street indicated a lack of a formal UK diplomatic response to Milei's threats, with the UK aiming to strengthen ties with Argentina.
A 2013 referendum saw an overwhelming majority of Falkland Islanders, 99.8 percent, vote to remain a British overseas territory. While the U.S. maintains a neutral stance, Washington provided support to Britain during the 1982 Falklands War, which resulted from Argentina's invasion. The conflict led to 255 British service deaths and the deaths of 655 Argentinians and three Falkland Islanders over approximately 70 days.