Farage ally: Reform UK would use military to 'crush' Argentina over Falklands
A senior Reform UK figure said Nigel Farage, as prime minister, would deploy Britain's military and economic sanctions to defend the Falkland Islands from Argentina. The remarks followed Argentine President Javier Milei's threat to sanction companies drilling for oil near the islands without Buenos Aires' approval.
Robert Jenrick, Reform UK's finance spokesperson, said Saturday that party leader Nigel Farage, if he became British prime minister, would use "every lever of the British state" — including the armed forces and economic sanctions — to defend the Falkland Islands should a conflict with Argentina break out.
Speaking at the Reform UK conference in Birmingham, Jenrick argued that Argentine President Javier Milei's current stance stems from a perception that both his own government and Britain's are weak.
Background
Britain retained control of the Falklands following a bloody 74-day war in 1982, triggered by Argentina's invasion of the territory. In a 2013 referendum, 1,513 of 1,517 islanders voted to remain a British overseas territory.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he might reconsider Washington's support for British sovereignty over the islands, saying he "always review[s] every position." Milei, a Trump ally, subsequently escalated his rhetoric, pledging sanctions against firms drilling for oil near the islands without Buenos Aires' approval. Britain's Labour government rejected the threat, stressing islanders' right to self-determination and to develop their natural resources for their own benefit.
Jenrick's comments mark a shift from Farage's earlier praise of Milei — in 2024 he called the Argentine leader's agenda "amazing" and likened it to Thatcherism "on steroids."
