Ed Miliband
Role at the time: UK Foreign Secretary, in a post on X
Statement summary
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.”
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)Why we used 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.