Miliband says the UK's position on the Falklands is "unwavering"
Ed MilibandUK Foreign Secretary, in a post on X
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on X that the UK's position on the Falkland Islands is unwavering, that the islands are British because that is the Islanders' overwhelming position, and that their right of self-determination is grounded in international law.
“The UK's position on the Falkland Islands is unwavering. The Islands are British and will remain so because that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders. Their right of self-determination is paramount, grounded in international law and we will resolutely uphold it.”
Original post
Reporting
Other statements by Ed Miliband in this case
Every statement by Ed Miliband
Where this statement fits
Should Argentina sanction UK and Israeli oil companies exploring near the Falkland Islands?
On September 3, 2026, Argentine President Javier Milei announced plans to sanction companies involved in oil exploration near the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas and has long claimed from Britain. He called the Sea Lion oil project, operated by UK-based Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum, a "concrete and urgent danger." Argentina has since filed a criminal complaint against Navitas Petroleum, begun sanctions proceedings against 60 companies and individuals connected to the project, and a Tierra del Fuego court has ordered the companies to suspend Sea Lion activity pending an environmental review, a step reported as largely symbolic since the project operates under Falkland Islands government licenses. Rockhopper and Navitas say they hold valid licenses with the UK's support and do not expect the measures to affect their activities. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called the UK's position on the islands "unwavering." Milei has tied the escalation to a 1976 UN resolution against unilateral action and has also announced funding for a new Argentine naval base in Tierra del Fuego. The dispute is whether Argentina should sanction and seek to block companies exploring for oil near the Falkland Islands.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's own post on X, responding to President Milei's September 3 address reasserting Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands and announcing sanctions against companies involved in oil exploration near the islands.
Reporting
About this source
CNN's report on President Milei's Thursday, September 3 address announcing plans to sanction companies operating near the Falkland Islands. It quotes Milei calling the Sea Lion oil project a "concrete and urgent danger," quotes Rockhopper Exploration and Navitas Petroleum's joint statement that they hold valid licenses with UK support and do not expect the developments to affect their activities, and reports Trump's ambiguous remarks on U.S. support for Britain and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's response.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Miliband posted in response to Milei's September 3 address announcing the sanctions plan.
After the quotation
The UK government separately said in published guidance that it supported all legitimate economic activity in the islands and backed Islanders' right to develop their natural resources, including hydrocarbons.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Argentina's sanctions and legal campaign against companies operating near the Falkland Islands under UK-backed licenses, Miliband rejects the premise underlying Argentina's claim and reasserts the UK's backing for the islands' self-determination and, by extension, their right to license the project. That opposes Argentina's position, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Javier Milei
More from this case
Read the full caseMilei tells Ibero-American leaders Argentina has opened sanctions proceedings and criminal complaints over Sea Lion
“We activated sanctions proceedings and filed criminal complaints against the companies involved and their executives. Our Government will assert Argentina's rights with all the firmness the law allows. (Translated from Spanish. Original: Activamos procedimientos sancionatorios y presentamos denuncias penales contra las compañías involucradas y sus directivos. Nuestro Gobierno hará valer los derechos argentinos con toda la firmeza que permite la ley.)”Read statement
International law professor Donald Rothwell says Argentina's Sea Lion case "could therefore fall at the first hurdle"
“While Argentina has framed its claim around UNCLOS, the core of the case is the territorial dispute over the islands, referred to as Malvinas by Argentina. ... Argentina's claim could therefore fall at the first hurdle, and Buenos Aires is no doubt aware of this challenge.”Read statement
Liberal Democrat Al Pinkerton calls Milei's use of UNCLOS arbitration "neo-colonialism dressed up as anti-colonialism"
“They spoke for themselves as a self-governing, self-determining, distinct and identifiable people, yet President Milei now seeks to use UNCLOS arbitration to deny the islanders of economic sovereignty and the right to shape their own future. That is neo-colonialism dressed up as anti-colonialism.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Miliband says the UK's position on the Falklands is "unwavering"
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3150-foreign-secretary-ed-miliband-said-on-x-that
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Miliband says the UK's position on the Falklands is "unwavering"". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/3150-foreign-secretary-ed-miliband-said-on-x-that