The British Government has given up the sovereignty of Chagos Islands. (Image: GETTY)
UK Prime Minister announced on October 3 that Britain is handing the .
This move has the sovereignty of which is currently held by London – most notably the .
Falklands Governor Alison Blake has stressed the legal and historical context of the Falkland and Chagos are “very different”. In a message to residents, she added: “UK ministers have been very clear throughout the process that the UK will not agree to anything that runs the risk of jeopardising sovereignty in other Overseas Territories.
“The UK government remains committed to defending the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination, and the UK’s unwavering commitment to defend UK sovereignty remains undiminished.”
Yet, Argentina’s Foreign Minister Diana Mondino welcomed the Starmer Government’s move, as she wrote on X, referring to the Falklands: “Following the path we have already taken, with concrete actions and not empty rhetoric, we will recover full sovereignty over our Malvinas Islands. The Malvinas were, are and will always be Argentine.”
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If you can’t see the poll above, .
The Falklands are a proud British Overseas Territory – but Argentina has historically laid claim on them.
The sovereignty row erupted in a direct conflict between Buenos Aires and London forces in April 1982, after an invasion of the territory by Argentine soldiers. The 74-long war, won by the UK, claimed the lives of 649 Argentinian, 255 British and three Falkland Islanders.
It also put the spotlight firmly on the archipelago and prompted Britain to maintain a much stronger military presence in the area to prevent another similar move.
The Argentine leaders that followed over the past four decades have not relinquished the dream of making the Falklands, or Las Malvinas as they are known in Argentina, part of their country’s territory.
President , who took office in late 2023, previously stated he also wants to see the Falklands become Argentine – albeit “within the framework of peace”.
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The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory. (Image: Getty)
Earlier this year, he announced a “roadmap” to achieve this, adding that while he acknowledged the islands were currently in the “hands of the UK”, Britain may one day want to negotiate the archipelago’s status in the future.
Despite the trauma of the war and Argentine politicians often threatening over the years a new move on the Falklands, a survey conducted by YouGov between April and May last year suggested a shocking 46 percent of Britons .
Out of the 2034 GB adults interviewed, 35 percent of respondents said they would be upset by any decision to hand the archipelago to Argentina. Shockingly, nine percent of those polled claimed that not only would they not be bothered, but they would rather be “pleased”.
Now Express.co.uk is asking its readers how they would feel if the British Government were to give up the Falklands in a similar way as it has happened with the Chagos archipelago.