Prime Minister hits back at Trump after president threatened 'review' into Britain's claim of Falkland Islands
A spokesperson for the Falkland Islands government said it has "complete confidence in the commitment made by the UK Government to uphold and defend our right of self-determination"
As King Charles III prepares for his US state visit next week, and with Donald Trump claiming it could help repair relations, stay with LBC for all the latest.
Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at Donald Trump's threat to review Britain's claim of the Falkland Islands.
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Downing Street insisted the Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic will remain under UK control.
It comes after President Trump issued a threat to Nato for not supporting the Iran War which included reviewing Britain’s claim to the Falklands.
But hitting back on Friday, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said: "We could not be clearer about the UK’s position on the Falkland Islands.
Read more: Trump sacks Secretary of Navy as standoff with Iran over Strait of Hormuz blockade continues
"It's long standing. It’s unchanged. 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."
They added: "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."
Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and invaded them in 1982 before being defeated in a short but bloody war.
The president is an ally of Argentina’s president Javier Milei and Mr Trump’s relationship with Sir Keir has deteriorated dramatically since the start of the Iran crisis.
The Prime Minister has refused to give the US free rein in its use of British military bases to conduct the bombing campaign against Iran.
A Falkland Islands spokesperson said: "Self-determination is a fundamental human right enshrined in article one, paragraph two of the Charter of the United Nations.
"In 2013, the Falkland Islands held an internationally observed sovereignty referendum, in which 99.8 per cent of voters, on a turnout of 92 per cent, voted in favour of remaining an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.
"The Falkland Islands has complete confidence in the commitment made by the UK Government to uphold and defend our right of self-determination."
Tensions over the territory's sovereignty led to war under Margaret Thatcher, when Argentinian forces invaded the islands in 1982.
The current leader of Argentina, Javier Milei, is one of Trump’s closest allies.
Britain initially blocked the US from using its bases to attack Iran, but following retaliatory Iranian airstrikes, it relented and allowed defensive operations to “protect British interests”.
The matter has driven a wedge between Washington and Downing Street, with Trump increasingly piling pressure on Starmer to support the war, including branding him cowardly and “no Winston Churchill”.
The US President also hit out at Nato members for not supporting him in his fight to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed by Iran in response to the US-Israeli strikes.
The closure of the Strait sent shockwaves through international markets, as it had previously been relied upon for the safe passage of around 20 per cent of the world’s fossil fuels.
Sir Christian Turner, Britain’s ambassador to the US, last week confirmed that the UK will make a wide-ranging military contribution to protect shipping in the strait.
Trump also took issue with shouldering much of NATO’s financial burden, arguing that the US was propping up other members in the alliance.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte reiterated that European allies provided “a massive amount of support” to the US during the war and had continually delivered on their promises.
The US President has long threatened to pull the country out of NATO, labelling the security alliance a “paper tiger”.
However, this current email does not suggest that the US is planning to exit or close down its military bases in Europe, reports suggest.
The source did, however, decline to confirm whether a possible reduction of US forces from Europe was part of the message.