Falklands off the agenda as Hammond woos Argentina

PHILIP HAMMOND has signalled a truce with Argentina over the Falkland Islands as he vowed to “recapture the spirit of the age” when Britain was the South American nation’s main trading partner.

The Chancellor and Maricio Macri, the Argentinian president, did not mention the disputed islands during a meeting yesterday in Buenos Aries.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Hammond said: “We can recapture the spirit of the age when the UK was Argentina’s primary trading partner. The evidence of that time is still all around us: in your schools, in your railways, in your universities, in your football teams. There, I said it. Argentina offers several opportunities in different sectors like infrastructure, energy, communications, technology and other services. We expect the UK to expand its shares of investment and trade.”

Relations between Britain and Argentina have historically been dominated by the issue of the Falklands, which lie 300 miles east of Argentina but have been a British overseas territory since 1833. Almost 650 Argentinians and 255 British servicemen were killed during the 1982 Falklands War, when Britain retook the islands after they were invaded by Argentina.

Mr Hammond was in Buenos Aires to discuss the agenda for next year’s G20 summit, which will be hosted in the Argentinian capital. He led a trade delegation including representatives of the Bank of England. Tensions flared in 2015 when Mr Hammond, who was then foreign secretary, accused Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, then president, of the “bullying and harassment” of Falkland Islanders. Mr Macri has been less outspoken than his predecessor over the Falklands, but they remain a hot topic among Argentinian voters.