Tony Blair’s Labour government “clearly covered up” reports of a second Argentinian invasion of the Falkland islands to protect relations with the South American nation, military historians have claimed. On the 41st anniversary of the Argentinian invasion, military experts have reignited rumours concerning the finding of an inflatable boat containing Argentine military kit partly buried on a beach near the islands’ capital Stanley in December 2001.
The mysterious boat was quickly removed by British soldiers and an information blackout was imposed in 2001.
When asked about the incident, the Foreign Office reported that shedding light on the situation could “damage relations”.
Falklands-born historian Graham Bound told The Sun that he believes this shows it “had clearly been covered up by the British government”.
He added: “At the time, they were very much in the business of repairing relations with Argentina.”
Another military historian suggested that it was kept quiet to “keep the peace” with the South American nation.
In 1981, on April 2, Argentinian forces landed on the shore of the nearby Falkland Islands to claim the territory.
Three days later, the British government, which had ruled the islands for almost 150 years, dispatched a naval task force.
A 74-day battle then commenced, culminating in a victory abroad for Britain and a domestic triumph for then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
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Despite the elapsed time between the finding of an Argentinian boat and current day, as well as the 20 years between the war and the sighting in 2001, the Foreign Office has maintained that information on the incident of the mysterious boat is still too “sensitive” to divulge to the public.
But the Foreign Office response to a freedom of information request by Graham did not deny the boat’s discovery.
It read: “The passage of time has not diminished the sensitivity of the [sovereignty] issue. Disclosure may damage relations.”
Historian Ricky D Phillips said he did not believe it had been an invasion bid.
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He said: “It was deliberately probing and testing defences with a military force in the Falklands, and the Blair government deliberately covered it up to keep the peace. The prize now is Antarctica.”
The Foreign Office said: “We will defend the right of self- determination for Falkland Islanders and for all people to decide their own future.”
The Tony Blair Institute has been approached for comment.
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