Javier Milei has demanded a Hong Kong-style handover of the Falklands to Argentina as part of what he called a ‘consensus solution’. 

The Argentine president insisted his countrymen ‘do not believe in war’ and would not ‘start yelling like savages’ about the contentious archipelago. 

His remarks were published in an interview after his nationalistic TV speech overnight on Thursday, where he announced plans for a new military base in Tierra del Fuego – the part of Argentina closest to the Falklands.

He also warned of sanctions that would stop companies drilling for oil off the Falklands, while insisting that the islanders have no right to self-determination.

Mr Milei added that Britain is ‘on a path of decline’ with social, economic and immigration problems.

In his interview with The Economist, he cited the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984, which saw the United Kingdom eventually hand Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Controversially, Hong Kong citizens were never given a vote on the matter.

The Argentine president said: ‘The UK did this with Hong Kong, so why not find the agreement so that sooner or later the islands return to Argentina? They’re ours.’

While Hong Kong became part of China’s national territory, it was able to retain its own laws and political system for 50 years, which will end in 2047.

But China has been widely accused of violating the agreement with its authoritarian regime that suppresses political dissent and public protest.

Mr Milei’s interview took place before his TV address to the nation on Thursday, but was published afterwards.

In his sombre speech from the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, the firebrand leader, flanked by his cabinet, declared: ‘The islands are ours, by history and by right, and they were taken from us.’ 

Mr Milei told his nation that Mr Trump was helping bring ‘winds of change’ favourable to his Falklands claim after the US President hinted he would not back Britain if Argentina invaded again because Sir Keir Starmer failed to support his war with Iran. 

Andy Burnham has yet to comment but Defence Secretary Wes Streeting hit back by insisting Britain’s commitment to the Falklands is ‘absolute and unshakeable’ amid ongoing concerns about the country’s ability to defend the islands as it did in 1982. 

It emerged on Thursday night that the Army is being forced to cancel training exercises in a bid to save £30million amid Labour’s refusal to increase defence spending.

Mr Streeting said: ‘Milei’s statement overnight tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands. The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British. Our commitment to the Falklands is absolute and unshakeable.’

Senior minister and Burnham ally Lucy Powell said Argentina’s president was ‘simply posturing’ ahead of his country’s elections. But former Foreign Office chief Lord McDonald told the BBC that Labour should review Britain’s Falklands policy and open diplomatic talks with Argentina over the islands’ future, citing the cost of defending them and their distance from the UK.

Mr Milei, who once praised Margaret Thatcher as one of ‘the great leaders in the history of humanity’, said last night that Argentina ‘will prevail’ in its bid to reclaim the Falklands because Britain is ‘on a path of decline’, beset by ‘multiple crises’ including social, economic and immigration problems.

‘In the world, the winds are blowing favourably for our claim right now. President Trump announced that the US is re-evaluating its historic position regarding the Malvinas’, he said.

The US has historically taken a neutral position on the Falklands, but Trump (pictured in 2025 with Milei) has hinted that they may review it. The men have become friends and allies

Mr Milei, who is a year away from an election and tanking in the polls, said Argentina needs to ‘recover these islands’ and would use ‘all the tools of the state: diplomatic, economic, judicial and legal’ to impede drilling in the Sea Lion oilfield, which holds 1.7 billion barrels of oil.

He did not mention military action, but announced his government would issue an immediate emergency decree to build a naval base on Tierra del Fuego, the Argentine coastline closest to the Falklands, which have been in British hands for centuries. 

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch blamed Argentina’s threats on the Government’s plans to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

She said: ‘Javier Milei claims to admire Margaret Thatcher, but forgets this lesson: Britain does not surrender to bullies. If he wants a stronger Argentina, he should build its economy, not threaten others.

‘But there’s also a lesson here for our sleepy Labour government. The madness of surrendering the Chagos Islands means other countries are now trying their luck. If we do not defend our own interests, whether on energy or territory, others will happily exploit that weakness.’

Locals spotted a large police presence in Tonge Moor in the early hours of Thursday,

Officers were seen on Ainsworth Lane at around 1.30am which Greater Manchester Police said was part of a joint operation with a neighbouring police force .

Witnesses reported seeing about “20 armed police with dogs”, while residents were confused by the police presence.

The local force said it was supporting West Yorkshire Police as part of an ongoing investigation.

The investigation is understood to centre around a disorder incident.

One resident told The Bolton News: “There were about 20 armed police with dogs on Ainsworth Lane.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “We assisted West Yorkshire Police on an ongoing investigation they are running.”

West Yorkshire Police did not elaborate on the investigation other than it was ongoing.

It is understood officers were carrying out enquiries when in the area.

Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police would not confirm how many officers attended.

Sydney Sweeney‘s media mogul boyfriend Scooter Braun is reportedly becoming a major influence on the blonde bombshell’s career. 

According to Puck News, Braun was a factor in Sweeney’s recent decision to sign with Hollywood power player Kevin Huvane at CAA.

Braun set Sweeney up for dinner with Huvane without her other management knowing, which led to her signing with him over rival agents that had been ‘clamoring for a similar sit-down’ with her.   

The bold career move came around the same time that Sweeney, 28, split from her longtime publicity team at ImPRint PR after a decade.

Both sides were reportedly happy to move on, with the ImPRint team growing ‘frustrated’ that Sweeney was no longer listening to their advice.

Puck points out that when ImPRint sent Sweeney to Variety’s Power of Women event last year in a bid to get her taken more seriously as an awards-worthy actress, she showed up in a sheer silver gown that highlighted her 32DD cleavage.

The 28-year-old recently found new management at CAA and parted ways with her publicity team after working together for a decade

It’s currently unclear if Braun, who previously managed Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato, has any say in Sweeney’s current PR strategy or wardrobe choices.

Daily Mail has contacted Braun, ImPRint, and Sweeney for comment. 

The starlet certainly tried to get herself into the Oscar conversation last year with her role in the boxing biopic Christy, but after it bombed at the box office Sweeney seems to have relied on her sex appeal to stay in the headlines.

Her many raunchy scenes in the third season of Euphoria dominated the news cycle throughout April and May, stealing the spotlight from her A-list co-stars like Zendaya and Jacob Elordi.

She then doubled down on her sex symbol status by launching her own lingerie brand Syrn, which she’s promoted with a string of provocative pictorials and commercials.

The most recent Syrn advert sees Sweeney posing completely topless, prancing around in a G-string, crawling on all fours, and suggestively licking cream off her fingers.

She’s now in Italy for the Venice Film Festival with Braun, where she’s continued to turn heads with her flesh-baring outfits. 

On Wednesday, she attended a dinner for Armani Beauty in a vintage silver gown from the brand, which also happened to be sheer around the chest.

Sweeney has leaned more into her sex symbol image in the past year. In October, she wore a sheer gown to Variety’s Power of Women event

The actress has also starred in a number of extremely provocative commercials and pictorials for her lingerie brand, Syrn

Before that, she was photographed wearing a semi-sheer lace top that revealed some serious side and underboob. 

When she’s not busy flaunting her curves, Sweeney has been spotted looking blissfully in love with Braun by her side.

Prior to their trip to Venice, she was spotted out and about in Los Angeles with Braun, who she has been romantically linked to since September 2025.

The couple were joined by Braun’s three children – Jagger Joseph, 11; Levi Magnus, nine; and Hart Violet, seven – who he shares with his ex-wife, Yael Cohen.

It marked a major development in the couple’s romance, which began months after they met at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Venice wedding in June of last year, not long after Sweeney ended her engagement to longtime partner Jonathan Davino in early 2025. 

On Wednesday, she attended a dinner for Armani Beauty in a vintage silver gown from the brand, which also happened to be sheer around the chest

Sweeney and Braun were spotted looking loved up in Venice this week

The couple were also spotted enjoying a gondola ride during a break from the Venice Film Festival

On going public with her relationship, Sweeney previously told Cosmopolitan that she was enjoying ‘experiencing’ love after spending so many years solely focused on her career.

In May, Braun gushed, ‘I’ve met an extraordinary woman who is kind and generous and smart, and real and down to earth.’

As for her career, Sweeney has a number of new projects in the pipeline.

In addition to starring in the sequel to her mega-hit The Housemaid, Sweeney will also lead the sci-fi blockbuster Gundam alongside Noah Centineo.

She’s also set to produce and star in an ‘erotic’ retelling of the classic Sleepy Hollow story, based on Lindsey Anderson Beer’s debut novel Hollow. 

Behind the camera, Sweeney heads up her own production company Honey Trap, which operates under a first-look production deal with Sony Pictures.

Club Havana, on South Parade in Whitley Bay, announced the closure in a social media post after more than two decades of welcoming revellers.

The North Tyneside business, run by two local families for the last four years, is the “only” nightclub in the seaside town.

Sadly, rising operating costs and the sale of the building to a developer had led to the decision not to renew its lease.

The owners said: “We are so sorry to share with you that Club Havana has closed its doors for the final time.

“As two families from Whitley Bay, it’s been an honour to run our town’s only nightclub for four years.

“We send our wholehearted thanks to all our customers, many of whom are just our friends now.”

Havana opened in the 2000s and became a fixture of Whitley Bay’s nightlife, attracting clubgoers from across North Tyneside and beyond.

The owners said: “Our lease is up and we aren’t renewing it – running costs are so high, along with purchasing and staffing costs, it wasn’t worth committing to another lease.

“This also coincided with our landlord selling the property to a developer.”

The owners thanked staff past and present: “A big thanks to all our staff; We’ve had some truly wonderful people working with us – we will miss you all.”

The closure is the latest blow to the region’s hospitality and late-night economy as rising costs squeeze venue operators.

Customers were also told neighbouring venue The Brewery would remain open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The owners signed off: “Thanks again to our staff, customers and friends.”

The post was met with nostalgia, as residents and customers took to the comments section to share their memories.

One person wrote: “We had one hell of a ‘Back In The Bay’ party – top lads and you’ve done a top job over the years for South Parade.”

Another comment read: “Sad times going to miss the good old days of going for pre-drinks and then heading out on a Thursday.”

Another club goer said they are “wounded” by the news.

A DJ who played at the club said: “One of the best places I have DJed at…proper place with a great atmosphere will be a big miss.”

The mistrial, in the seventh day of deliberations, leaves the case unresolved and allows prosecutors to try Clancy again

Advertisement

A judge has declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder case after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether she was criminally responsible for killing her three young children.

The mistrial, in the seventh day of deliberations, leaves the case unresolved and allows prosecutors to try Clancy again.

The deliberations took a dramatic turn late in the week when the judge said he was going to declare a mistrial on Friday before suddenly changing course and giving her defence lawyer a chance to appeal to the state’s highest appeals court.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

That came a day after the foreperson told the judge that a lone holdout was refusing to follow the court’s instructions about reasonable doubt, offering a rare glimpse at possible conflict inside the jury room.

Clancy’s lawyer demanded the juror be kicked off the case.

The livestreamed trial drew attention to maternal mental health after childbirth and was closely watched by a polarised public.

Clancy’s sympathisers saw her as a loving mother who had realised something was badly wrong in the months ahead of the killings and sought help, including checking herself in to a psychiatric hospital.

Her detractors said she deserved to be punished for an evil and selfish act.

Prosecutors said Clancy, a former labour and delivery nurse, acted deliberately when she strangled five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan Clancy with exercise bands on January 24, 2023.

They said she contrived to get her husband out of the house by sending him to pick up medicine for one of their children and dinner for the family.

Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, never disputed that she killed the children, but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she had post-partum psychosis – a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.

Over 21 days of testimony, jurors heard how Clancy’s mental health had collapsed after Callan’s birth.

Deeply anxious about a planned return to work, unable to sleep and experiencing what she described as a disturbing brain fog, Clancy sought care from experts in post-pregnancy mood disorders, who prescribed multiple psychiatric medications.

Clancy’s family members testified that she expressed concern about her mental health decline.

Her former mother-in-law, Susan Clancy, described her as a “very nurturing, very loving mother” who was “begging for help”.

In early January, she checked herself in to a psychiatric hospital for more intensive treatment, but her stay was short.

She killed the children 19 days after she was discharged, leaving their bodies in the basement of the family’s home in coastal Duxbury, Massachusetts.

Clancy jumped from a second-story window immediately after and remains paralysed from the waist down.

Prosecutors conceded that Clancy had severe mental illness, but insisted she was able to understand and control her actions.

They emphasised that although she claimed to have heard a male voice commanding her to kill the children, she never disclosed hearing voices to her mental health providers before the killings.

In its latter stages, the trial became a battle of medical experts.

Kirk Heilbrun, a forensic psychologist hired by prosecutors to evaluate Clancy, testified that he did not believe her story about having heard voices.

And he said he did not believe she had acute psychosis when she killed the children, but rather took their lives so they would not “suffer” after she killed herself.

Dr Phillip Resnick, a forensic psychiatrist who testified for the defence, said that Clancy was “clearly psychotic” and was not in control of her actions.

“It was almost like she was a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings,” said Dr Resnick, who spent hours interviewing Clancy after the killings.

He said she was also likely experiencing bipolar disorder.

At the start of the trial, Clancy’s ex-husband Patrick Clancy described the horror of returning home to find his children.

Prosecutors played a seven-minute 911 call in which he could be heard finding the bodies.

In interviews, he has said he has forgiven her and believes her actions were the result of mental illness.

Patsy Kensit, who first appeared on Emmerdale in 2004 before leaving two years later, is back in the village and has recalled how she made one demand when she returned to Emmerdale as Sadie King for a six month stint

Patsy Kensit made one demand when she returned to Emmerdale – that Sadie King wouldn’t be killed off.

Iconic character Sadie is back in the Dales, arriving this week by helicopter in a nod to her previous arrival in the village a number of decades ago. Patsy, 58, first appeared in 2004 before leaving two years later, but is back in the village once more after two decades for a six months stint.

She’s quickly at the heart of the action when it was revealed that Sadie had been having an affair with Jimmy King (Nick Miles), who died in a devastating marquee car crash and left Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) struggling with the financial burden of raising their kids and trying to fund university education for their eldest.

It was a joy for Patsy to return, but she had one demand for bosses. “It came out of absolutely nowhere, which is sometimes the nicest way things can happen,” she says.

Advertisement

“I said, ‘I don’t want to kill the character off, though, because I would love to think that she may return again.’ So the team of writers are phenomenal… and people will be shocked.”

Such was her return a secret that she booked into a hotel up North with a fake name to keep things under the radar. “The hotel, I had to put under a fake name there. And my agent and I came up and sat and chatted and just was like, ‘Yeah, you know, why not? Let’s do it,’” she says. Of how it’s changed since her first stint 20 years ago, she added: “I think one episode I’m in 60 scenes or something… It used to be six days a week when I did it first time around.”

Her return doesn’t just impact grieving Nicola’s life, but Sadie soon crashes into a number of her character’s conquests.

Her tryst with Robert Sugden (then played by Karl Davies and now played by Ryan Hawley) was a big part of her original appearance, as was her romantic connection with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).

“Ryan and I have had a lot of stuff to do together… He’s very funny, and that’s been great,” she says, “It was quite a daunting day with Jeff Hordley scenes. It was all about putting that relationship to bed. There was a lot she revealed that happened to her after he left her on the runway.

“Jeff’s such a brilliant actor, as is everyone on the show. I’m learning so much every day again… but we decided to sort of play against that and just make it a real conversation between two people that had shared some time together.”

Her return marks the reunion of two of the soaps ‘super b***ches’ as Claire King’s Kim Tate goes head to head with Patsy’s Sadie. On working with the soap legend, she says: “Claire King is the queen, and I’m so happy to be working with her.

“I’ve got so much respect for Claire… I’ve always been a super fan. Our paths cross a couple of times and then some barbed comments, which is very Dynasty.”

Despite her glittering acting career, it didn’t stem the nerves when she returned to Emmerdale this time around. “I was so nervous my first week. Mark [Charnock] called me up just to say, look, you know, ‘We’re so thrilled that you’re coming back,’” she says.

“And I said, ‘Mark, I’m just I’m absolutely s***ing myself.’ And he said, ‘You know what? It would be weird if you weren’t.’”

Advertisement

“There’s nothing like a warm Yorkshire welcome… It’s the nicest place to work. Everyone genuinely cares about the show. It’s hard work, I’m not going to say it isn’t, but it’s rewarding,” she says.

Patsy feels very “protective” over Sadie and she is thoroughly enjoying living vicariously through her character.

“For me, it’s a role that I’ve really cherished, and I’m very protective about her. It changed my life when I did it, you know, 20-odd years ago, and it’s just wonderful to be back for a little while and just get to say all those horrible things to people with delight,” she says.

“It’s wonderful to live vicariously through this woman who seems to have no shame in her game. But does she really have what she had before when she left? They’re really taking apart who the woman is.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.

This idyllic escape for two with P&O Cruises could be yours*

Fancy soaking up some early spring sunshine among some of the Caribbean’s most lush and beautiful islands? P&O Cruises has partnered with us to offer you and a guest the chance to do exactly that when you enter this fantastic prize draw.

After catching your flight from a selected UK airport (included as part of the prize) to Barbados on 5 March 2027, you can enjoy a thrilling taste of Caribbean culture, plus a fantastic variety of food, drink and entertainment on board the P&O Cruises flagship Britannia.

You’ll visit enchanting destinations including St Maarten, Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Aruba and Curaçao. There’s a great range of shore experiences^† on offer on each island, from snorkelling to rum tasting and beach excursions.

On days at sea you can relax in your balcony cabin, or make the most of Britannia’s wide choice of activities and entertainment. You could catch a sensational live show at Headliners Theatre, take a hands-on culinary class at The Cookery Club^†, or enjoy live music and a sumptuous dinner at The Limelight Club^†.

There’s a fantastic range of dining options included in a holiday on Britannia, plus speciality restaurants^† offering everything from fusion flavours at Sindhu, light bites paired with exquisite wines at The Glass House, and fine British cuisine with a modern twist at Epicurean.

In the mood for a tipple? From the classic pub atmosphere of Brodie’s to panoramic views at the Crow’s Nest, there’s a bar to suit every mood.

After arriving back in Barbados you’ll catch your return flight to the UK on 19 March 2027 – ready to plan your next P&O Cruises adventure.

HOW TO ENTER

Simply fill in the form below with your details and one lucky winner will be randomly selected from all entries after the closing date. Closing date for entries is 31 October 2026 at 23:45.

*For the full terms and conditions please see the form below. ^†Additional prices apply.

If you cannot see the form, please click here.

Cambridgeshire County Council began introducing the new zones across the county in early 2024

A county council report revealed new 20mph limits on roads have shown “statistically significant” drops in speed a year after being introduced.

Cambridgeshire County Council began introducing the new limits across the county from early 2024, across a total of 25 roads so far.

The report, presented to the council’s highways and transport committee on Tuesday (September 1), looked at the impact of the limit on eight of these roads within the first year.

It found that average speed was reduced on all of them.

It looked at schemes in Cambourne, Histon, Ely, Great Abington, Fowlmere, Ramsey, St Neots, and Great Staughton.

Speed reductions ranged from six per cent to 16 per cent, with the largest falls seen where speeds were highest before the limit was introduced.

The report said early evidence of the limit’s impact on crashes is “encouraging but remains inconclusive” as numbers were already low in many towns.

It said Ely is the only location which has so far shown a statistically significant fall in crashes, but Cambourne, Histon, and Ramsey have shown a downward trend.

The report said there were an average of 15.6 crashes per year in Ely across the seven years from 2017, but this fell by nearly half in the scheme’s first year.

It said there were eight crashes after the limit’s introduction, which was a “notable reduction” as crashes across Cambridgeshire had only fallen by 12 per cent.

In St Neots, crashes actually increased during the first year but the report said this was not significant and falls within normal annual variation.

It added that evaluating the scheme’s impact on crash rates will need at least three years of data, and recommended a further review at a later stage.

The council collected anonymous data through sensors to determine speed and police road traffic collision records for crashes.

The council has set aside £150,000 per year for new 20mph schemes with more currently planned or delivered in another 29 locations.

There was an automatic glass washer, and a dishwasher, both of which I had to load, but the cooking pots and utensils had to be tackled by hand. I once worked there on Boxing Day – I certainly earned my pay on that occasion. I later helped out as a chambermaid, making beds and cleaning bathrooms. My mum thought it amusing – she wasn’t impressed by my bed-making skills at home. To this day my husband scoffs at my attempts at hospital corners.

But, however bad at it I was, it was a job, and I was paid, in cash, in little brown envelopes.

Growing up in a village with three pubs and a hotel, there was never any shortage of employment for teenagers. Between the ages of 13 and 18 I worked part-time in two of those four establishments, as well as a pub in a neighbouring village, where, aged 17, with my friend Sharon, I cooked the Sunday ‘basket meals’ – unappetising affairs that we served in small wicker baskets with a badly folded napkin. The kitchen was chaotic. Had today’s inspection system been in place, it would have struggled to get one star. I went home smelling of grease.

Almost all my friends worked on either Saturday or Sunday in local pubs and shops. One of my friends manned the pumps at a local petrol station, another helped in a hairdressing salon.

In many ways, those jobs were the making of us. Aside from paper rounds, they were our first taste of the real world. As well as providing us with money to spend on shopping trips to Middlesbrough, they instilled in us a sense of responsibility and accountability, offering us the opportunity to manage situations ourselves.

Sadly, today such casual jobs as those my friends and I enjoyed – and we did enjoy them, we had great fun – now appear increasingly out of reach. According to figures from HMRC, the number of under-18s on payrolls has fallen by almost 75,000, or 15 per cent in the past two years.

Employers are struggling to meet the rising costs of running a business, especially in hospitality and retail, and cannot afford to employ additional part-timers. The growing use of technology, such as self-service checkouts, has also contributed.

It’s a great loss. Marks & Spencer chef executive Stuart Machin said a Saturday job can change a young person’s life, adding that it changed his. His first job was pushing trolleys at a local hypermarket. ‘That role turned me into a more confident young man’, he declared. The first rung on the employment ladder, it led to a successful career in retail.

Machin warns that increased red tape and regulation changes could further deter employers from taking on weekend staff.

As teenagers both my daughters had Saturday jobs with Marks & Spencer, one in the café and one on the women’s fashion floor. They loved it and learned a lot about the demands and rewards of the workplace. They also worked in a farm shop, which was hard work with early starts.

Saturday jobs are a good grounding for later life, from the importance of being on time, to how you present yourself, and your ability to work alongside adults. Nowadays, such work also reduces the time young people spend on screens.

Employers and industry groups like the British Retail Consortium are calling for policy changes and financial support to help businesses keep traditional Saturday jobs alive for young people.

I only hope more opportunities arise, to give them a helpful foot-in-the-door to the workplace, as well as a rewarding experience.

Javier Milei has continued spouting his claims that the Falkland Islands should be Argentine, by shockingly suggesting the archipelago should be ‘handed over like Hong Kong’

Argentina’s president Javier Milei has continued his shameless threats on the Falkland Islands by claiming the British territory should be handed over in a Hong Kong-style scenario.

The Argentine leader said his nation didn’t “believe in war” and called for a “consensus solution” on the Falklands, despite announcing a string of punitive measures on the archipelago just hours before. Milei in his latest disgraceful comments on the British islands said “The Malvinas are Argentine” – referring to the land by the Argentine name for the Falklands.

Milei’s brazen words comes in the wake of comments made by Donald Trump last week where the US President said he “always reviews every position” when asked where the US stands on the islands.

The Argentine president, speaking to The Economist, claimed he would “defend our sovereignty rights” over the Falklands, South Georgia and South Sandwich islands.

Milei then continued his ramble by suggesting the UK should hand over the Falklands to Argentina in a diplomatic deal like Hong Kong. He said: “In the long term we can get our islands back. The UK did this with Hong Kong, so why not find the agreement so that sooner or later the islands return to Argentina? They’re ours.”

In 1898, 56 years after Britain took over Hong Kong island, the UK promised to return the land to China in 99 years. The handover was completed in 1997.

Milei in his rant cited the Sino-British Joint Declaration treaty which was signed in 1984 between China and the UK to prepare for the eventual return. The treaty agreed that Hong Kong would be under the authority of Beijing but enjoy a high level of autonomy for 50 years – until 2047.

The Falkland Islands, however, were uninhabited and unoccupied until they were first claimed by the British in 1765. In 2013, a referendum was held where 99.8% of islanders voted to remain a UK overseas territory.

Milei’s Hong Kong comment was made before a fiery TV address on Thursday night, although the interview was not published until after.

In the shocking national address, he declared the Falkland Islands as “Argentinean, historically and legally”. Milei told El Observador radio: “The Falklands are Argentinean. Historically and legally. There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory.

“The islanders on their usurped territory do not have a legitimate right to self-determination and any argument on any such self-determination is invalid.”

Milei also said he would introduce sanctions on any oil companies working in the area, adding that the Sea Lion oilfield, owned by an Israeli and a British firm where production is expected to begin in 2028, was a “clear and present danger” to the country’s claims.

He said: “If we do not act swiftly in a few months, they will have the material capacity to access the oil that lies underneath our sea. Something that has never happened before.”

A No 10 spokeswoman said the UK supports the right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit, and “this is an integral part of their right to self-determination”.

Donald Trump, last week, faced questions about the US’s ongoing support for the UK’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. When pressed on his position, the US president told reporters: “I always review every position – that’s just one of many.”

The US president on Thursday then suggested he would not back the UK in a fight over the territory, pointing to the lack of support for his war in Iran.

Asked in an interview if he would “come to the aid” of the UK, the US president told GB News: “Well look, I was there when they had the first war. That was a long time ago and I watched it so carefully, and you comported yourselves very well.

“You took it back pretty strongly, but it’s a long way away. That’s a big trip, it’s a long way. So, your country’s not doing well. Don’t forget, you get a big percentage of your oil from the Strait of Hormuz, and you weren’t there to help me.”