According to a report by the European edition of the American "Politico News Network" on September 5, a senior member of the British right-wing populist party Reform UK claimed that if the party leader Nigel Farage became the British Prime Minister, Britain would use 'all means of the state machine', including armed forces and economic sanctions, to resolve the dispute over the Falkland Islands.
The statement was made by Farage's finance spokesman, Robert Jenrick. During a press interview at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham that day, he said that Argentine President Mourinh had taken tough action because he believed the current British government was "weak."
According to reports, Jandrick’s statement comes at a time when the UK and Argentina are rekindling their disputes over the Falkland Islands.
The Malvinas Islands have been the subject of territorial disputes between Argentina and Britain for 200 years. In April 1982, Argentina and Britain went to war over the sovereignty of the islands, with Britain winning the conflict. However, Argentina has never given up its claim to sovereignty over the islands, while Britain refused to negotiate with Argentina.
Just one day before, Argentine President Muelle announced that he would submit a bill to the congress to further sanction companies that carry out oil drilling and other resource activities near the Falkland Islands. The British government then reiterated its stance, stating that residents of the Falkland Islands have a so-called “right of self-determination” and supporting their development of local natural resources.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has also sent mixed signals regarding the United States' long-standing position of supporting the British claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Trump said he would 'reconsider every position,' which is seen as further increasing the uncertainty surrounding this long-standing dispute.
It is worth noting that the reformist stance taken by the UK party towards Mila, in contrast to Farha’s past praise of this Argentine far-right president, is quite striking. In 2024, Farha highly praised Mila’s concept of a right-wing small government, describing her agenda as “amazing” and “incredible”. She also described her policies as “like Thatcherism when taking steroids”, and mentioned that she “began to consider buying Argentine bonds”.
