China has been accused by a senior Tory of 'enabling' Argentina to go after the Falkland Islands again.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary said Beijing was providing financial stability to firebrand President Javier Milei, who has recently ramped up his country's claim to the British overseas territory.

In a major speech, Tom Tugendhat warned that the Communist superpower was also involved in its ally Mauritius claiming sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

'Follow the money, and you'll find Beijing behind both and Argentina and Mauritius's claims,' the former Security Minister told the London Defence Conference on Wednesday.

Mr Tugendhat, one of a group of Tories who were sanctioned by Beijing after they spoke out against human rights abuses, explained: 'Despite President Milei's promise never to trade with communists, he renewed an $18 billion lifeline from China which still underwrites a large share of Argentina's reserves.

'As President Trump's own envoy to the region has made clear: so long as Argentina holds that credit swap, it is not truly free.'

His comments come amid a growing diplomatic row over the Falklands, the overseas territory in the South Atlantic that was recaptured by British armed forces in 1982 after an invasion by Argentina.

It began earlier this month when President Donald Trump said he was reviewing the US's position on the sovereignty of the islands.

Shortly afterwards Argentinian president Mr Milei said the 'Malvinas cause' was a 'sacred' issue for his people, and imposed sanctions on those involved in oil exploration around the Falklands.

In an address to his nation, Mr Milei then said Argentina needed to 'act swiftly' to end the 'British occupation', prompting calls for Andy Burnham to deploy extra military resources to the region.

The Prime Minister raised the dispute in his first meeting with Mr Trump this week, telling broadcasters afterwards: 'We will stand firm in the face of any threats, we will defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British.

'And I just wanted the president to know directly from me, that's the clear British position, and he very much understood what I was saying.'

In his address to the United Nations summit in New York on Tuesday, Mr Burnham vowed that Britain would 'stand firm in the face of any threats and challenges to the rule of law' including 'where they threaten the rights of British territories to remain British – such as the Falkland Islands'.

Then in his own speech to world leaders on Wednesday, Mr Milei accused the UN itself of 'looking the other way' over the Falklands dispute.

'The Malvinas for us are a national cause. They are also a test of the gulf that can exist between the words of international institutions and the reality upon which they purport to act,' he told the UN General Assembly.

He demanded talks with Mr Burnham, saying: 'We call on the United Kingdom to resume negotiations with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute as required by international law.'