Sir Keir Starmer has officially backed Spain to beat the Argies in Sunday’s World Cup final. A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said he wishes both teams ‘well’ – but ‘especially Spain’. She was also at pains to point out that ‘the World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are’. Hear, hear. She added: ‘Our position is unchanged, self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.’
Mr S cannot help but wonder where this patriotic resolve disappeared to when Labour signed its disgraceful Chagos surrender agreement. If the government is willing to hand over British Indian Ocean territory with such indecent haste, can anyone entirely trust the Prime Minister’s proclamations about the Falklands?
Joining the declarations of love and protection for the islands, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch stated:
The Falkland Islands are British. The Conservatives will always defend them.
Seeking the spotlight, as ever, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called on FIFA to bar the Argentine players involved in the banner display from the World Cup final. He said: ‘In August 2024, Rodri and Álvaro Morata were rightly banned for one match for singing ‘Gibraltar is Spain. Now the Argentine players who celebrated with the ‘Falklands are Argentine’ banner must be barred from the final.’
Pressed on whether the players should be punished, Downing Street said any potential action was a ‘matter for FIFA’. For Argentina, the World Cup is still in play – the Falklands never will be.
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