Nigel Farage demands Royal Navy is beefed up immediately after Argentina’s brutal Falklands jibe at World Cup

Nigel Farage demands Royal Navy is beefed up immediately after Argentina’s brutal Falklands jibe at World Cup

Nigel Farage has demanded Britain needs to build up the Royal Navy immediately after Argentina unfurled a "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" flag just moments after knocking England out of the World Cup. As jubilant players celebrated their dramatic 2-1 semi-final victory, cameras captured several members of the South American squad posing with the banner, which translates as "The Falkland Islands are Argentine." The jibe has sparked outrage among Britons, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who took to X to brand the move "disgusting" and called for the UK to increase the size of the Royal Navy. He wrote: "Whilst I am disgusted at the behaviour of some Argentinian players last night, the most important thing to do is build up the Royal Navy quickly." TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The archipelago was first reached by English explorers more than a century before Argentina became an independent state. The Falklands had no permanent population before the British arrived. Argentina's military junta invaded the Falklands in 1982, but were seen off in just 74 days by the British Armed Forces. A total of 649 Argentines died trying to take over the British territory. In 2013, the Falklands held a referendum in which 99.8 per cent of voters opted to remain British. Mr Farage's criticism centres around the Royal Navy's active escort fleet, which has drastically declined over the last few decades. The service is down to roughly 12 destroyers and frigates. Delays and prolonged maintenance cycles have forced ships, like the Type 23 frigates, to operate far beyond their intended lifespans, and some have been stripped of their weapons and sensors. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Top Tory demands Fifa take immediate action against Argentinian players after Falklands stunt Argentina risk fine for parading banned 'Falklands are Argentine' flag after knocking England out of World Cup Royal Navy accused of 'military incursion into Argentine waters' hours after World Cup semi-fi