David Cameron used the primary go to by a Overseas Secretary to the Falkland Islands in 30 years to poke enjoyable at his personal Brexit referendum failure.
Lord Cameron, who infamously stop No. 10 after shedding the 2016 EU referendum that he known as, in contrast his personal success with that of the Falkland Islands.
Addressing a group reception to honour the ten years for the reason that Falklands held their very own plebiscite, Lord Cameron joked: ”I feel your referendum went quite higher than one in every of mine.”
In March 2013, islanders have been requested whether or not they wished to retain their present political standing as an Abroad Territory of the UK.
A whopping 99.8% voted sure, with simply 3 residents opposing the proposition.
The outcome stands in stark distinction to Lord Cameron’s personal referendum document.
Lord Cameron has used his Falklands go to to downplay solutions from the brand new Argentinian President Javier Milei that there could also be negotiations over the islands’ sovereignty sooner or later.
He pledged that Britain would assist the islanders for “so long as they need”, including: “I hope that’s for a really, very very long time – presumably eternally.”
The Overseas Secretary set out: “So far as we’re involved, so long as the Falkland Islands need to be a part of the UK household they’re completely welcome to be a part of that household and we’ll assist them and again them and assist shield and defend them completely, so far as I’m involved, for so long as they need.”
Lord Cameron met with President Milei at Davos in January, a gathering that was described as “heat and cordial” regardless of the continued diplomatic tensions over the islands’ sovereignty.
The Overseas Workplace said Britain and Argentina would “conform to disagree, and achieve this politely”.
In a ceremony at Stanley, the Falklands capital, Lord Cameron laid a wreath on the Liberation Memorial, in “solemn remembrance of those that died defending the rights of all on these islands to find out their future”.
In a diplomatic transfer, he additionally paid tribute to the Argentine warfare useless, visiting an Argentine army cemetery.
Lord Cameron is the primary Cupboard member to go to the Abroad Territory since 2016, and the primary Overseas Secretary since Lord Hurd in 1994.
The journey had initially been deliberate by Lord Cameron’s predecessor James Cleverly, earlier than he was moved to the Overseas Workplace.
Mr Cleverly warned that Labour can be a risk to the islands’ sovereignty.