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.”

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.

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.

On Saturday evening, Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage said he had written to Foreign Secretary David Lammy to request a debate be held on the Chagos Islands.

In his letter, Mr Farage said “The future of the Chagos Islands was announced when the House was not sitting, meaning that Members of Parliament from all parties remain in the dark about so many aspects of this decision”.