Veteran tells GB News he's 'convinced' the Argentinians will try and claim Falkland Islands

GB News

Falklands veteran Simon Weston has expressed concerns about the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, despite receiving direct ministerial assurances that the territory's status remains secure.Speaking to GB News, Weston revealed that although a Government minister had told him the Falklands had "never been on the table for discussion" with Argentina, he remained worried about the islands' future.FULL STORY HERE.

Transcript

00:00Foreign Secretary David Lammy appears to have admitted that Spanish border guards could stop Brits entering Gibraltar

00:06because of this new post-Brexit deal that he signed yesterday.

00:10Then he was pressed on the matter by Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice.

00:14So you might have missed this. Here he is.

00:16Just to probe this question of whether or not Spanish border officials, Foreign Secretary,

00:22have an effective veto on the entry of a British citizen from the United Kingdom landing on British sovereign territory in Gibraltar.

00:32I just want absolute clarity for everybody, please, in this house.

00:36Do Spanish officials have a veto or not?

00:38If he went, if he flew into Gibraltar airport and there was an alert,

00:44I'm not sure why there might be an alert in the Schengen system,

00:47but if there were an alert in the Schengen system,

00:52can I reassure him that as he is stopped by the Spanish border guards

00:57operating on behalf of the European Union,

01:02that he would be handed back to the Gibraltese.

01:08Hmm. OK. So under the terms of this deal signed,

01:11people flying into Gibraltar from the UK will face one cheque from Gibraltarian officials

01:16and another by the Spanish on behalf of the EU.

01:19And, of course, the big question is, what happens if they fail that cheque?

01:23Do they get told that they're not allowed in Gibraltar?

01:25It seems very odd.

01:26Joining me now is Falkland's war veteran, Simon Weston.

01:29Simon, thank you very much for joining me, by the way.

01:31Look, the way to move this on, as far as I can see,

01:34is do you think that the Argentinians are going to be looking at this

01:37and they're going to want to have another go at the Falklands?

01:40I'm fairly convinced that's going to be something they'll want to try to achieve.

01:46And with the current track record, I mean,

01:49considering this government's only been in place,

01:51was it about 11 months,

01:53they've already sort of interfered in two overseas territories,

01:59in one country to take over the Chagosian islands, Chagos.

02:07They've got rid of that.

02:09What they're going to do, or what they've done with Gibraltar,

02:12is that Fabian, because he seems to be quite happy with the deal.

02:19Certainly when he was photographed, he was absolutely elated with David Lammy.

02:26So I think he sees it as being a good deal.

02:28But, you know, my absolute concern is about the 90-day relationship,

02:33you know, whether they can stay on the island.

02:36They have friends who have property in Gibraltar,

02:38they have friends who live in Gibraltar,

02:41and I'm wondering how it's going to affect them.

02:44Because the rules seem to be fairly sort of abrupt in Europe

02:47about the 90-day exclusion.

02:51Yeah.

02:51I mean, I am very sympathetic, by the way,

02:55to the idea that people who live on Gibraltar

02:58can often have a nightmare getting into Spain,

03:00working every day, and, you know,

03:01I'm all for something that makes their lives easier.

03:04I wouldn't like to have to wait three hours

03:06at a Spanish border crossing every day to go.

03:08However, I worry that for the ease of access,

03:13on certain occasions,

03:15we have forgotten the very British principle, frankly,

03:17that when you land on sovereign British territory,

03:21you should only have your passports checked by a Brit.

03:25And, you know, you were willing to put your life on the line

03:28to protect the Falklands in its entire sovereignty.

03:31And I'm just worried that we've softened a bit here.

03:35It's a bit weird, you know.

03:37If you've ever seen the programme Cops on the Rock,

03:40and one of the reasons they say

03:43they have to have such stringent checks

03:45is the worry about cigarettes being smuggled

03:48because Gibraltar had no VAT on cigarettes.

03:51Now, to be honest with you,

03:53the more you charge for cigarettes, the happier I am.

03:55But the fact is that

03:57they were always chasing these unbelievable boats

04:00that could go much quicker,

04:02and they'd be landing on the Spanish coastline

04:04delivering drugs and cigarettes anyway.

04:07So I don't see that as being a justifiable reason

04:10for some of the checks that went on.

04:12I've been to Gibraltar several different times,

04:14crossed over on the land bridge,

04:16and, yeah, the interference by the border patrol there

04:21was quite ridiculous.

04:24But, you know, I suppose they're doing their job

04:26to irritate as best they can.

04:28Or they were.

04:29And now that one goes away.

04:30But I do worry about the Falklands

04:32and how easily we've done these two deals

04:34that seem to have thrown everything away,

04:38whether we will.

04:39I've spoken to somebody quite high in the government

04:42and involved in overseas territories,

04:45and he absolutely swore blind, straight to my face,

04:49when asked the deliberate question,

04:51what about the Falklands?

04:53He said it's never been on the table

04:54for any discussion with anybody,

04:57and certainly not the Argentinians.

04:59And I suppose you've got to take him to his word.

05:02But, I don't know.

05:04You just don't know anymore.

05:06No, you don't know anymore.

05:07It is a very concerning time.

05:08It's certainly got a big green flashing light on it now,

05:11the Falklands,

05:11because, you know, if I was Argentinian,

05:13I think this is the softest, weakest opportunity

05:16for us to go and get it back.

05:18So, you know, I can see the logic there.

05:19The only thing I will say

05:20to slightly counter the Falklands thing

05:22is something you alluded to there,

05:23which is it appears to me

05:24that Labour have basically just signed off

05:26on the things that the Tories

05:27weren't prepared to sign off on.

05:29So there were already deals in place.

05:30The Tories had said,

05:31oh, we've got red lines.

05:32Labour has just gone,

05:33screw that, we're signing it.

05:34I don't think there was anything like that

05:36in place with the Falklands

05:38or with the Argentinians,

05:39I should say, already.

05:40But, Simon, we're going to have to leave it there,

05:41my good man.

05:41Thank you very, very much.

05:43Always a pleasure.

05:44You take care.

05:44Simon Weston there,

05:45Falklands war veteran,

05:46war hero, really, I should say.

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