Keir says British control of Falklands is ‘personal’ as uncle almost died in war

Sir Keir Starmer has promised the Falkland Islands are ‘British and volition stay British’, arsenic the substance of power implicit the territory is ‘personal to him’.

The Prime Minister’s uncle astir died erstwhile his vessel was deed by a torpedo during the Falklands War.

It took a week earlier his household learned that his mum’s member Roger had survived the onslaught connected HMS Antelope.

At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Sir Keir brought up his household transportation with the struggle aft Lib Dem person Ed Davey asked astir Brexit’s interaction connected the South Atlantic archipelago.

The PM said: ‘My uncle astir mislaid his beingness erstwhile his vessel was torpedoed defending the Falklands, they are British, and they volition stay British.

‘And sovereignty successful Gibraltar is arsenic not to beryllium negotiated.

‘Of people we volition bash everything we tin to marque it easier for each businesses to commercialized much freely truthful that we tin turn our economy. I’ve been precise wide astir the Falklands, it’s idiosyncratic to me.’

While the question was not straight linked to the deal to manus implicit power of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, announced past Thursday, Sir Keir took the accidental to deed backmost astatine critics who suggested it enactment different territories successful doubt.

Despite the negotiations being started nether the Conservatives, each of the enactment enactment candidates has criticised the authorities implicit the announcement.

The Telegraph has reported that the PM and his Foreign Secretary David Lammy could look a parliamentary ballot earlier the handover is completed.

Sir Keir antecedently spoke astir his nexus to the Falklands successful a code connected defence past year, saying: ‘My mum’s brother, my uncle Roger, served successful the Falklands connected HMS Antelope and I retrieve the unspeakable hold erstwhile his vessel was bombed.

‘My mum’s fearfulness arsenic she sat by the vigor each day, listening for news, and past the relief, a agelong week later, erstwhile we recovered retired helium had survived.

‘So I cognize the courage, the service, and the sacrifice that allows america to slumber soundly astatine nighttime from our forces and their families.’

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