Absurd and wrong for Israel to call Falklands occupied – Ed Miliband

His comments came as the UK Government announced sanctions on illegal West Bank settlements.

Both Israel and the US have criticised the move, which will see a ban on imports from illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and sanctions on individuals and firms providing services to settlers.

Responding to the sanctions announcement, Mr Ben-Gvir called on Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly recognise the Falkland Islands as “Argentine territory under occupation, which the British violently steal from the Argentine people”.

He wrote on X: “I call upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognise Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and to impose sanctions on Great Britain as long as the occupation continues.”

Asked about the comments by Labour MP Alex Ballinger in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Miliband said: “Obviously these comments are absurd and wrong.

“The Falkland Islands are British and will remain so because that’s what the islanders want.”

Earlier, Foreign Office minister Kirsty McNeill said the Government “completely and utterly” rejected Mr Ben-Gvir’s comments.

She told the Commons that ministers were in regular contact with Argentina, who are “in absolutely no doubt” that the UK’s position is that the future of the Falklands is for islanders to decide.

Javier Milei, the Argentine president, previously announced “sanctions” on oil companies and individuals linked to oil works in the Falklands territory.

Ms McNeill was responding to Dame Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who raised Mr Ben-Gvir’s comments.

“The Israeli minister Ben-Gvir has said that it is time for the State of Israel to publicly recognise the Falkland Islands as ‘Argentine territory under occupation’, and that we, the British, are not merely occupying the territory, but in carrying out oil drilling there, we are stealing money from the Argentine people,” Dame Emily said.

“Do you think that he knows that the Argentine government agrees with him, and so as a result, have filed criminal complaints against Navitas Petroleum, which is, of course, an Israeli company?”

Ms McNeill said: “We completely and utterly reject the characterisation that (Ms Thornberry) describes, because the UK supports the rights of Falkland Islands to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit because this is an absolutely integral part of their self-determination.

“The decision by the Falkland Islands government to pursue hydrocarbon production is a commercial decision for them to take alongside the commercial companies involved.”

Shadow Foreign Office minister Wendy Morton also asked what conversations the UK has had with the US administration to ensure the “democratic wishes of the Falkland Islands are clearly understood” and whether there has been direct representation to the Argentine government.

Ms McNeill said: “We are, of course, in regular ministerial and senior official engagement with Argentina, which is why I can say with such conviction they are in absolutely no doubt, and no member of this house should be in any doubt about the UK Government’s position: the future of the Falkland Islands is for Falkland Islanders to determine.”