UK resolutely committed to Overseas Territories, minister says
The UK is “resolutely committed to all our Overseas Territories”, the responsible foreign minister said, after Argentina vowed to gain “full sovereignty” of the Falkland Islands.
Stephen Doughty said that the sovereignty of the territories is “not up for negotiation”.
On X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, Mr Doughty, Minister of State (Europe, North America and Overseas Territories) said: “British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar or any other of our Overseas Territories is not up for negotiation.
“The Chagos Islands are a very different issue with a very different history.
“The UK remains resolutely committed to all our Overseas Territories.”
Mauritius
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended giving up UK control of the Chagos Islands on Friday, and said the agreement with Mauritius over the remote archipelago would achieve the “single most important thing” of securing the long-term future of a joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.
Argentina’s foreign minister, Diana Mondino, promised “concrete action” to ensure that the Falklands, the British-controlled archipelago that Argentina calls the Malvinas and claims as its own, are handed to Buenos Aires.
“Following the path we have already taken, with concrete actions and not empty rhetoric, we will recover full sovereignty over our Malvinas Islands,” she said.
Commitment
The Falklands’ governor, Alison Blake, has already sought to reassure residents that the UK’s commitment to the territory is “unwavering”.
On Friday, Sir Keir was asked to guarantee that no other British overseas territories would be signed away, and he said: “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.”
The agreement over the continued UK-US military presence on Diego Garcia, announced on Thursday, is expected to run for 99 years and Britain will pay an annual sum of money.
Critics have claimed it risks allowing China to gain a military foothold in the Indian Ocean.
The United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, previously ruled the UK’s administration of the territory was “unlawful” and must end.
Talks between the UK and Mauritius to reach an agreement began under the previous Conservative government in 2022.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
The best outcome for Gibraltar is to become an EU microstate similar to Monaco and Vatican City. Because this would give Spain some involvement in areas like defense, they should return Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco as part of the deal.
With the reaction of the right wing commentators to giving up an archipelago of small islands, just imagine how they would have reacted if the Scottish independence referendum had gone the other way.
The Chagos Islands are the 52nd territory that London has surrendered control of since the Second World War. Many post British Empire now Sovereign countries never had an Independence Referendum and were just meekly let go. With Whitehall losing their grip of their once precious overseas territories the question now arises as to how resolutely committed they are to their ‘home’ territories of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Should the decision regarding the future of the Chagos Islands have been debated fully in Parliament or is this the way Starmer will be making such decisions in the futurer over matters of national importance?
.
What does it say in the written constitution?
Falklands is different to Chagos. Argentina is sinking in its own mess and need another bogeyman. Argentina are the ones with the chain saw wielding president that is gutting everything to pay their debt and the Falklands have always been their aim, this is nothing new. A certain Mr R Peston tweeted an interesting thing, then along with Hansard on record as UK Government already in discussions (also Peston mentions Mr Frosts wife as part of the team). Biden nodded agreement and is happy and Labour dotted the i and crossed the t and signed what the Tory party had… Read more »
The unelected bureaucrats in SW1 are clearly struggling with their main job of UK governance since all the extra work handed to them in 2016. So London Labour should be reducing their burden in any way possible including removing their overseas responsibilities. But handing the Falklands to Argentina is problematic so perhaps Chile would be a better guardian.
Unelected? You want elections for the civil service now?
It appears this has been a legal decision driven by international law. This was always going to happen. Note the US acceptance.
Who said we are handing the Falklands over? Apart from the usual suspect press and right wing think tanks and ex ministers who were part of the discussion?
I think you missed the point. The civil service can’t do both well so their international responsibilities should be slimmed down so they can focus on the domestic. The taxpayer savings will be huge.
Strategic advantage binds them all…