Rishi Sunak rejects calls from Argentina’s new president for talks over British control of the Falkland Islands after South American populist declared ‘every effort’ must be made to reclaim the territory
- Mr Sunak said this was a ‘settled issue, and we have no plans to revisit it’
Rishi Sunak has rejected calls from Argentina’s new president for talks over the British control of the Falkland Islands after the South American populist declared that ‘every effort’ must be made to reclaim the territory.
Javier Milei, who uses a medium to communicate with his dead dog for advice on political matters, pulled off a massive upset by beating Argentina’s Economy Minister Sergio Massa in Sunday’s polarised presidential runoff.
But during his presidential campaign, Milei insisted that Britain returning the Falkland Islands was ‘non-negotiable’, adding that the territory, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, is Argentine.
But Rishi Sunak has ruled out opening any new negotiations over the Falklands’ future. His official spokesman said following Milei’s win: ‘It’s obviously a settled issue, a long settled issue, and we have no plans to revisit it.’
Pressed on suggestions by Milei that a new relationship could be struck similar to that between China and Hong Kong, the Prime Minister’s spokesman added: ‘The position of the Falkland islands was settled some time ago and will not be changed.’
Javier Milei (pictured), who uses a medium to communicate with his dead dog for advice on political matters, pulled off a massive upset by beating Argentina’s Economy Minister Sergio Massa in Sunday’s polarised presidential runoff
Rishi Sunak (pictured) has ruled out opening any new negotiations over the Falklands’ future. His official spokesman said following Milei’s win: ‘It’s obviously a settled issue, a long settled issue, and we have no plans to revisit it’
Pictured: British troops patrol the Falkland Islands last year
Argentina believes the Falklands were illegally taken from it in 1833 and invaded the British colony in 1982.
The UK sent troops and Argentina lost the two-month war for the archipelago in a conflict that claimed the lives of 649 Argentines and 255 British soldiers.
Argentina still claims the islands while Britain says the Falklands are a self-governing entity under its protection. A 2013 referendum there resulted in a 99.8 per cent vote to remain British.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also took a swipe at Milei after the former ‘tantric sex coach’ vowed to ‘reclaim’ the Falkland Islands.
Shapps said the Falkland Islands ‘are British’ and that is ‘non-negotiable’ after Argentinian president-elect Javier Milei said the territory belongs to Argentina and vowed to ‘get it back’.
Shapps added: ‘The Falkland Islands are British. That is non-negotiable and undeniable.’
Referring to the results of the island’s 2013 referendum, Shapps continued: ‘99.8% of islanders voted to remain British and we will always defend their right to self-determination and the UK’s sovereignty.’
During his presidential campaign, Milei (pictured with a chainsaw) insisted that Britain returning the Falkland Islands was ‘non-negotiable’, adding that the territory, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, is Argentine
A furious Grant Shapps (pictured on November 14) hit back and said the Falkland Islands ‘are British’ and that is ‘non-negotiable’ after Argentinian president-elect Javier Milei said the territory belongs to Argentina and vowed to ‘get them back’
Pictured: Javier Milei arrives at a performance of Madame Butterfly with his girlfriend Fatima Florez on Friday night, where they were met with a mixed response from guests
Milei, a right-wing economist known as ‘el Loco’ – or the Madman – who promised to shake-up Argentina with his win, had said he would ‘make every effort’ to get the Falkland Islands back – but stopped short of saying he would go to war over them.
He insisted it was ‘non-negotiable’ for Britain to hand the Falklands over to Argentina, comparing it to the UK returning Hong Kong to China.
The Falklands were the subject of a short but brutal war after Argentina invaded in 1982. Britain drove out the invaders after dispatching a naval armada, but the issue has never been considered settled in Buenos Aires.
READ MORE: A previous career as a tantric sex coach and a GHOST DOG he chats to for advice… the very colorful life of Argentina’s new president Javier Milei
Milei insisted during his presidential campaign, which saw him revving a chainsaw to symbolically cut the state down to size, that questions over the future of the Falkland Islands ‘cannot be ignored’.
He said: ‘What do I propose? Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands is non-negotiable. The Malvinas are Argentine.
‘Now we have to see how we are going to get them back. It is clear that the war option is not a solution.
‘What we are proposing is to move towards a solution like the one England had with China over the Hong Kong issue and that in this context the position of the people who live on the islands cannot be ignored.
‘You cannot deny that those people are there. You cannot disregard those human beings.
‘You have to negotiate with Britain and consider the views of the people who live on the islands.
‘We are looking for a solution for the Malvinas Islands to return to Argentina through diplomacy, a solution that is viable, that is achievable.’
Milei has previously lauded former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as one of ‘the great leaders in the history of humanity’.
Those comments were condemned by veterans of the Falklands war as Thatcher is still reviled in Argentina for ordering the sinking of the General Belgrano cruiser, killing 323 people on board, during the 1982 war with the UK.
Milei has previously blamed the Argentinian government of making ‘a series of errors’ that has made the situation even more complicated. In April last year, he said if Argentina wants the Falkland Islands to become Argentinian, it would mean a ‘very long negotiation’ with Britain.
At the time, he said: ‘Argentina never created the conditions for the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands to want to become Argentines.
Conflict: British troops arriving in the Falklands Islands in 1982
Milei, who often dresses up as his superhero alter-ego ‘General AnCap’ which is short for anarcho-capitalist (pictured), made his name furiously denouncing the ‘political caste’ on television programs
Newly elected President of Argentina Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza kisses his girlfriend and actress Fatima Florez after the polls closed in the presidential runoff on November 19
‘Therefore it is an extremely complicated situation, in which Argentina committed all possible errors, resulting in a stuck and muddy situation. So now it is a counter-factual scenario because of all the errors. It is most complicated.’
He added: ‘If we want the Islands to return and become part of Argentina some day, is will mean a long, very long negotiation in which Argentina must propose something interesting.
‘And Argentina is not an interesting country, if its own people are choosing to leave the country,’ concluded the lawmaker who is now president elect of the nation.’
READ MORE: Argentina’s new first lady Fatima Florez is a comedian who satirised her new boyfriend in an impersonation – but can the glamorous divorcée tame the tantric sex ‘lion’?
Diana Mondino, a close adviser of Milei, said in September that the population of the Falklands – 99.8 per cent of whom voted to remain British in a 2013 referendum – ‘cannot be disrespected’.
Mondino added that Argentina needed to ‘become a normal country’ to persuade Islanders to seek closer ties.
‘How would anyone not born and bred in Argentina understand [our] inflation?’ she said. ‘Why would anyone want to become a part of a society – we need to become a normal country, and we’re an empty country,’ she said.
After Milei’s win, Shapps tweeted: ‘The Falkland Islands are British. That is non-negotiable and undeniable.
‘99.8% of islanders voted to remain British and we will always defend their right to self-determination and the UK’s sovereignty.’
Shapps, in his tweets rejecting any negotiation on the future of the Falklands, highlighted how Royal Navy ship HMS Forth had been sent back to ‘protect the islands’ in the southern hemisphere.
It follows a nine-month stint by HMS Medway to patrol the remote location.
Since the 1980s conflict, UK ministers have been keen to shoot down any talk of Argentina having any claim to the islands.
In July, Sunak hit out at the European Union’s ‘regrettable choice of words’ after it appeared to have endorsed the name Argentina prefers.
A diplomatic row erupted after Brussels referred to the islands as ‘Islas Malvinas’ in a declaration jointly signed with Argentina and other Latin American countries.
With his victory on Sunday night, Milei has thrust Argentina into the unknown regarding just how extreme his policies will be.
In a speech following his dramatic victory, he vowed that the ‘reconstruction of Argentina begins today’ while adding he would ‘drain the swamp’ in reference to stemming the influence of special interests and lobbyists.
Milei, who often dresses up as his superhero alter-ego ‘General AnCap’ which is short for anarcho-capitalist, made his name furiously denouncing the ‘political caste’ on television programs.
His pledge for abrupt, severe change resonated with Argentines weary of annual inflation soaring above 140% and a poverty rate that reached 40%. He will take power on December 10.
Milei, who is also a prominent economist and radio chat-show host, has spoken openly about his preference for threesomes and how he enjoys communicating via telepathy with his dead dog for political advice.
He failed to win the primary round of voting ahead of the runoff election, but came in second to Massa in large part due to support from young voters who are so disenchanted with more ‘conventional’ politicians that they have turned to a man whose recent biography was titled El Loco, or The Madman.
A political unknown until a few years ago, Milei was elected to Argentina’s parliament in 2021 as a member of La Libertad Avanza (‘Freedom Advances’).
He prefers to call himself an anarcho-capitalist, which means he’d like to rip up as much government intervention as he can and leave it all to the free market.
The bitter Falklands War and how Argentina still lays claim to the islands and insists on calling them ‘Islas Malvinas’
The British had a small settlement on the Falklands from 1766. When it was abandoned in 1774, the territory became part of Argentina.
From that moment the Argentinians insisted on calling them the Islas Malvinas, with many Argentine governments since then using them as a way of banging the patriotic drum, particularly at times of instability and economic turmoil.
Argentina still maintains the islands should belong to them and want the world to refer to them as ‘Islas Malvinas’ only.
In 1883, the British seized the islands back by force.
The Argentinians briefly recaptured the islands during the 1982 war, but Britain reclaimed them after just 74 days.
On April 2 1982, Argentina invaded. This led to the brief, but bitter and bloody conflict.
Argentina’s military junta hoped to restore its support at a time of economic crisis, by reclaiming sovereignty of the islands. It said it had inherited them from Spain in the 1800s and they were close to South America.
The UK, which had ruled the islands for 150 years, quickly chose to fight. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said the 1,800 Falklanders were ‘of British tradition and stock’.
Within days a British task force was sent on the 8,000 mile journey to re-take the islands.
Mrs Thatcher wrote of the launch: ‘The Task Force had been despatched with a speed and efficiency which astounded the world and made us feel very proud and very British’.
After the fleet arrived in early May they set up an exclusion zone around the islands and then on May 2 the Argentine ship the General Belgrano was sunk by British submarines.
In the fighting that followed, 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lost their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders.
A previous career as a tantric sex coach and a GHOST DOG he chats to for advice… the very colorful life of Argentina’s new president Javier Milei
By Tom Leonard
Javier Milei was elected president of Argentina Sunday evening, with the extreme-libertarian tantric sex guru who has no political experience likened to Donald Trump.
Earlier this year, DailyMail.com published an in-depth look at the new leader and his very colorful life, which we have reproduced to commemorate Milei’s historic win…
There’s never a dull moment with former self-described ‘tantric sex coach’ and now Argentine presidential frontrunner Javier Milei.
Indeed, Milei – who is also a prominent economist and radio chat-show host – has spoken about his preference for threesomes, why he believes poor people should be free to sell their body parts, and how he enjoys communicating via telepathy with his dead dog for political advice.
The far-Right libertarian is also an admirer of Donald Trump – and it certainly shows: the outspoken firebrand has rapidly risen to prominence vowing to ‘kick politicians out on their asses’ and railing against the elite ‘caste’ he says rules Argentina.
The populist showman and daytime TV star, whose frenetic rallies and social media rants also evoke The Donald, dismisses global warming as a ‘socialist lie’ and says he would abolish much of the country’s government right down to its beleaguered central bank.
Argentina has a weakness for extreme leaders, and the country – an economic basket-case where annual inflation rate shockingly stands at over 115 percent – may be about to vote in its wildest yet.
Milei has just pulled off a shock victory in the primary round of voting ahead of next month’s election, in large part due to support from young voters who are so disenchanted with more ‘conventional’ politicians that they have turned to a man whose recent biography was titled El Loco (The Madman).
There’s never a dull moment with former self-described tantric sex coach and now Argentine presidential frontrunner Javier Milei (pictured with Argentine actress Fátima Florez). Indeed, Milei has spoken about his preference for threesomes and why he believes poor people should be free to sell their body parts.
The far-Right libertarian is also an admirer of Donald Trump… and it certainly shows: the outspoken firebrand has rapidly risen to prominence vowing to ‘kick politicians out on their asses’ and railing against the elite ‘caste’ he says rules Argentina.
A political unknown until only three years ago, Milei, 52, was elected to Argentina’s parliament in December 2021 as a member of La Libertad Avanza (‘Freedom Advances’).
He prefers to call himself an anarcho-capitalist, which means he’d like to rip up as much government intervention in people’s lives as he can and leave it all to the free market.
‘If I had to choose between the state and the mafia, I would choose the mafia,’ he once said. ‘Because the mafia has codes, the mafia adapts, the mafia doesn’t lie. And above all, the mafia competes.’
His so-called ‘chainsaw plan’ to slash the bloated state includes getting rid of Argentina’s public health and education systems along with shuttering ten out of 18 government departments.
Milei is also so anti-progressive he has repeatedly taken aim – rather bizarrely – at Pope Francis, his compatriot, calling him a ‘f***ing communist’, ‘communist turd’ and the ‘representative of the evil one on Earth’ in brutal social media posts, simply because of his perceived support for ‘social justice’ and policies to help the poor.
‘Jesus didn’t pay taxes,’ Milei memorably tweeted.
His private persona appears to match the public image of an unpredictable eccentric.
At home he keeps four 200lb English Mastiffs. All named after famous right-wing economists – and each one cloned from a fifth, now-dead dog named Conan (after the Barbarian).
A recent biography by journalist Juan Luis González revealed Milei studies telepathy in his spare time and has a medium to ‘communicate’ with Conan, who died in 2017, asking him for advice on political matters.
Astonishingly, Milei hasn’t denied the claims. ‘What I do in my house is my business,’ he told a Spanish newspaper.
A recent biography by journalist Juan Luis González revealed Milei studies telepathy in his spare time and has a medium to communicate with his dog Conan, who died in 2017, asking him for advice on political matters.
Not that he’s usually so secretive.
Milei, who is single and has never married, proudly says he used to be an instructor of tantric sex – a slow, meditative form of intercourse based on Eastern philosophies where the end goal is not orgasm but enjoyment of the process – and could go a full three months without ejaculating.
He’s also talked openly about having threesomes.
Even so, he has called Conan the greatest love of his life, an animal he so cherished that during a financially tough period he survived only on pizza so Conan had enough to eat.
The dog is closely followed in Milei’s affections by his younger sister, Karina, who he has vowed to make his First Lady if he becomes president.
Certainly, it all sounds rather odd – but if anything, Milei revels in the lunacy.
When a political opponent called him ‘a disheveled panelist who screams on a stage and sleeps with eight dogs and his sister’ during a debate, Milei’s only response was to say: ‘I don’t have eight dogs’.
And then there’s his hair…
As a teenager, Milei sang in ‘Everest’, a rock band that knocked out Rolling Stones covers. He still behaves like a wannabe rock star now, strutting around on the election trail in a black leather jacket shaking an unruly mane of thick black hair that is so peculiar it has earned him a nickname: The Wig.
Hardly flattering – but perhaps an improvement on ‘The Madman’, a sobriquet which originated at school.
Milei says he never combs the hairdo and that only his party’s vice president, Lilia Lemoine, a keen cosplayer, is authorized to style it. She also does his makeup: Milei is so vain he refuses to appear in backlit photos as they show up his double chin. Ms Lemoine employs a ‘contouring’ technique similar to the one promoted by the Kardashians.
Milei’s absurdity may have something to do with his unhappy childhood. He grew up in Buenos Aires where his father was a bus driver and later a transport sector businessman. Milei claims his parents, Norberto and Alicia, physically and verbally abused him when he was young. As an adult, he didn’t speak to them for a decade. ‘They are dead to me,’ he has said.
As a teenager, Milei sang in a rock band that knocked out Rolling Stones covers. He still behaves like a wannabe rock star now, strutting around on the election trail in a black leather jacket shaking an unruly mane of thick black hair that is so peculiar it has earned him a nickname: The Wig.
Milei’s absurdity may have something to do with his unhappy childhood. He grew up in Buenos Aires where his father was a bus driver and later a transport sector businessman. Milei claims his parents, Norberto and Alicia, physically and verbally abused him when he was young. (Pictured: Milei in his youth).
At school, he reportedly had no friends, and often boiled over in notorious angry outbursts.
He later studied to be an economist but found the dry life of academia wasn’t for him.
Then, around five years ago, he suddenly tried his luck on Argentina’s beloved daytime TV chat shows – and producers quickly realized viewers couldn’t get enough of his demented claims about his sexual stamina and his brazen political opinions.
Raised a Catholic and now said to be converting to Judaism, his views on abortion are extreme: wanting to ban terminations in every case except when a mother’s life is in danger.
Though, while he may be staunchly opposed to pro-choice views when it comes to pregnancy, he’s proposed a controversial ‘market mechanisms’ to deal with long waiting lists for transplants, arguing that organs are a person’s property to sell as they choose.
He wants to see Argentina ditch the peso and adopt the US dollar as its national currency, slash taxes, privatize state-owned companies and scrap subsidies.
As for foreign policy, he believes his natural allies would be the US and Israel, saying: ‘I don’t want to have anything to do with the communists of Cuba, China and North Korea.’
On the ever thorny question of the Falkland Islands, which Argentina unsuccessfully tried to grab from Britain in 1982 during the prime ministership of Margaret Thatcher, one of his icons, Milei proposes copying the UK’s transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997.
He has called Conan the greatest love of his life, an animal he so cherished that during a financially tough period he survived only on pizza so Conan had enough to eat. The dog is closely followed in Milei’s affections by his younger sister, Karina (pictured), who he has vowed to make his First Lady if he becomes president.
‘It has to be a solution that satisfies [the UK], that satisfies Argentina and that satisfies those who live on the islands,’ he told the El Pais newspaper.
That sounds refreshingly reasonable compared to the cynical saber-rattling of previous Argentine presidents – though given Falkland Islanders overwhelmingly say they want to remain a British overseas territory, a Hong Kong-style handover seems most unlikely.
Falkland Islanders may then be safe from rule under Milei – but what of their neighboring Argentines?
Perhaps only a seance with the all-knowing canine spirit of Conan the Barbarian can answer that.
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