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Al Pinkerton is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath since 2024. He is the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson for Europe and previously spoke for the party on Northern Ireland. Before entering Parliament he was an associate professor in geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Role at the time: Liberal Democrat spokesperson and MP for Surrey Heath, in the House of Commons
Condemned
Statement summary
Speaking for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons, Al Pinkerton said President Milei was seeking to use arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to deny the Falkland Islanders economic sovereignty and the right to shape their own future, and called this neo-colonialism presented as anti-colonialism. He asked whether the UK would challenge any attempt to use the convention to decide territorial sovereignty.
“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 the original text (opens in a new tab)Hansard: Falkland Islands, House of Commons, 13 October 2026Commons Chamber, Volume 791: statement by Uma Kumaran and replies from Wendy Morton, Al Pinkerton and other MPs
Why we used this label
Relative to Argentina's sanctions and legal action against the Sea Lion project, Pinkerton says Milei is using UNCLOS arbitration to deny the islanders economic sovereignty and calls it neo-colonialism. He condemns the legal action, so we labeled it Condemned.
Argentina is sanctioning UK and Israeli oil firms exploring near the Falkland Islands, calling the Sea Lion project illegal. The UK and the companies say the project holds valid Falkland Islands licenses. The dispute is whether Argentina's sanctions and legal action are justified.
