Downing Street says sovereignty of Falkland Islands ‘rests with the UK’ after leaked Pentagon report – UK politics live

Downing Street has hit back at reports suggesting the US could reconsider its position over the UK’s claim to the Falkland Islands because the UK did not do enough to assist the American bombing of Iran was leaked.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “The UK position is clear and isn’t going to change … It’s a longstanding one. It’s an unchanged one, and it will remain the case.”

The spokesperson added: “The Falkland Islands have hugely voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory, and we’ve always stood behind the islanders’ right to self-determination and the fact that sovereignty rests with the UK.”

When asked whether the UK was ready to defend the islands from any threats, the spokesperson replied: “The question of the Falkland Islands and the UK’s sovereignty and the islanders’ right to self-determination is not in question, and we’ve expressed that position clearly and consistently.”