Argentina 'can smell Burnham's weakness': Kemi Badenoch blasts PM after latest threat to 'recover' the Falklands

Andy Burnham was accused of being 'too weak' to stand up to Argentina over its latest threat to 'recover' the Falklands.The Prime Minister failed to respond after Buenos Aires escalated tensions to their highest level since 1982 by insisting the islands were 'historically and legally' Argentinian.In a bizarre address to the nation, Argentine president Javier Milei said the country needed to 'act swiftly' to release the Falklands from 'British occupation'.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said self-styled hardman Mr Milei 'smells Andy Burnham's weakness'. In a menacing speech which has set off alarm bells in Westminster, the Argentine president referred to his country's defeat in the 1982 war by saying that taking the islands was the 'best way' of paying tribute to those who died.He also threatened to impose sanctions on oil drilling off the Falklands by a British firm and said he would build a new naval base just a few hundred miles from the archipelago.Mr Burnham failed to respond publicly to the extraordinary threats against the British Overseas Territory, and was accused by Mrs Badenoch of failing to 'act in the national interest'.Former prime minister Boris Johnson called on Mr Burnham to deploy extra military resources to the Falklands immediately to deter Argentine aggression.In a televised address, Argentine President Javier Milei ramped up tensions with the UK over the Falklands, warning sanctions will be imposed for offshore oil drilling Prime Minister Andry Burnham pictured during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron this weekIt comes as the PM is under growing pressure to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade to keep Britain safe.Donald Trump also waded in, casting doubt over US support for the UK in any potential conflict over the territory, suggesting he would not help Britain because it didn't join his war on Iran.Mrs Badenoch said Mr Milei was 'coming for the Falkland Islands'.She told the Daily Mail: 'I am worried that Burnham is fundamentally a people pleaser who can't say no, and we have a Prime Minister who isn't prepared to act in the national interest.'There's also a lesson here for our sleepy Labour government. The madness of surrendering the Chagos Islands means other countries are now trying their luck.'If we do not defend our own interests, whether on energy or territory, others will happily exploit that weakness.'Reiterating that under the Tories the Falklands will always be British, Mrs Badenoch added: 'Javier Milei claims to admire Margaret Thatcher but forgets this lesson: Britain does not surrender to bullies.'Reform UK also warned that Mr Burnham was 'too weak' to defend the Falklands from Argentinian aggression, with senior MP Robert Jenrick saying: 'The sacrifice of our Falklands veterans is set to be betrayed. Why? Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch, spoke during a press conference at iNHouse Communications on August 19'The Argentinians have taken one look at Burnham and Wes Streeting and worked out that they're a pair of simps, too weak to defend our islands. What are they going to do? Flutter their eyelashes at Milei?'Writing in today's Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said Mr Burnham needed to quickly 'grip' the problem. He adds: 'He needs to state powerfully that the Falklands are British. Above all, he needs to show the practical reality of that commitment, by sending reinforcements now.'Mr Johnson also criticised former Foreign Office chief Lord Simon McDonald who on Friday suggested it was time to negotiate with Argentina over the Falklands.Lord McDonald told BBC Radio 4 that the islands were costing the British taxpayer around £500million a year. He said: 'When a small group of people need a much larger group of people to spend huge amounts of money, then that right is not absolute.' Mr Johnson described the comments as 'immoral or stupid or dangerous' and said they rode roughshod over the rights and feelings of the islanders themselves.In his televised address, Mr Milei said the 'winds of change' favoured Argentina's claim to the Falklands and that Britain's immigration and economic 'crisis' meant Buenos Aires would ultimately prevail.The Argentine president said he would introduce sanctions against any companies working on oil production off the Falklands, adding that he had been emboldened by his close ally Mr Trump's suggestion he would not help Britain fight another invasion. The US has traditionally taken a neutral position on the Falklands. But on Thursday, the US President suggested the stance was being reviewed after complaining that Britain was 'not there to help me' in the Iran war. US President Donald Trump met with Milei at the White House in October 2025 After Mr Milei's speech, Argentina's intelligence agency posted a satellite image of the Falklands with the words 'Estamos mirando', which translates as: 'We are watching.' The president also announced plans to build a naval base in Tierra del Fuego, the closest province to the islands, to strengthen Argentina's presence in the South Atlantic.Ministers have not directly addressed Argentina's sabre-rattling. But yesterday Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK will 'resolutely uphold' the self-determination of the Falklands.'The islands are British and will remain so because that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders,' he said. 'Their right of self-determination is paramount, grounded in international law and we will resolutely uphold it.'Defence Secretary Mr Streeting said Mr Milei's statement 'tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands'.'The Falklands are British because Falkland islanders choose to be British. Our commitment to the Falklands is absolute and unshakeable,' he added.Asked if there would be any diplomatic response to Argentina's threats, Downing Street reiterated that the Falklands were British. A No 10 spokesman said: 'We continue to have a diplomatic relationship with Argentina, and from our perspective we want to continue to strengthen that.'READ MORE: How would Britain fare against Argentina in a second Falklands war? Four decades on, UK still has military dominance over the South Americans