FALKLANDS: TROOPS ON RED ALERT!

BRITISH forces in the Falklands were on full alert last night after Argentina vowed to recapture the islands.

- Marco Giannangeli

A crack team of soldiers has been placed on round-the-clock standby to intercept any attempt to make a grab for land in the South Atlantic.

Vigilance was stepped up after Sir Keir Starmer's humiliating surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius emboldened the Buenos Aires regime, with Argentina's foreign minister Diana Mondino boasting: "We will recover the full sovereignty of Las Malvinas." Last night, a special Army unit with tracker dogs was on 24-hour standby, braced for a secret operation which could see Argentinian special forces land on the islands which were last invaded in 1982 and recovered at a cost of 255 British lives.

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston, who suffered horrific injuries when the troop carrier Sir Galahad was sunk by Argentinian fighter jets, accused the PM of "poor judgment".

"It was a mis-step for Keir Starmer to give away the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which is aligned with China, and it does make me wonder where it will stop," he said.

"I can understand why Falkland Islanders are worried. It doesn't take much to reassure them by stating publicly the Falkland Islands are not up for grabs it's called leadership - but he hasn't done this. I think it shows a lack of respect to them.

"Those islanders deserve to go to bed at night and sleep soundly." Former Foreign Secretary and Tory leadership candidate James Cleverly blasted the Government for handing over the Chagos Islands.