Argentinian President Javier Milei has been branded as "mad as a bucket of spiders" by a former Labour MP after setting his sights on the Falkland Islands.
Following Labour's surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Milei has claimed that the move shows how Argentina could pry the Falklands from British hands.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Milei stated that in the long term, the Falklands "will become Argentine again".
He added: "If you are in conflict, you are not going to make any progress. With what the previous government (in Argentina) was doing, they were never going to be Argentine again."
Javier Milei has been branded as 'mad as a bucket of spiders'
Reuters / GB News
Reacting to the claim, former Labour MP Stephen Pound told GB News that Milei is as "mad as a bucket of spiders", and there was "nobody living there" when it was formerly a "whaling and coaling station".
Offering his thoughts on Milei, commentator Mike Parry noted that it was "obvious" that as soon as the Chagos Islands were surrendered, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands "would come right into focus".
Parry explained: "Wasn't it obvious the minute that the Chagos deal happened, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands would have come right into focus? Diplomatically, the Argentinians at first said no. But now, as it goes on, we all quite admire the new Argentinian leader, don't we?
"He's decided that the Argentinian economy is one of the worst in the world, and he's trying to do something about it."
Pound told GB News: "In South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, there was nobody living there. It was a whaling and coaling station.
"Here's the important thing, Tam Dalyell, every single Prime Minister's questions, had raised the thing about the Chagos every single time. His point was that the Brits had come along and forcibly removed the Chagossians, and now they don't want to go back."
However, Pound also stressed that the UK "retaining the Diego Garcia" in surrendering the Chagos Islands is best for the UK's maritime force protection.
Pound added: "I think the fact is we've retained Diego Garcia. Anyone who knows anything about maritime force protection will realise that you have to have that Diego Garcia, particularly because China is coming down the road like a runaway train."
Mike Parry claimed that Milei is 'trying to do something about the Argentinian economy'
GB News
Defending Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asserted that the territory is "British and will remain British".
Addressing the House of Commons, Starmer assured MPs: "My uncle nearly lost his life when his ship was torpedoed defending the Falklands.
"They are British, and they will remain British. It's personal to me. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is equally not going to be negotiated."