On November 11^th we all remembered those servicemen and women who gave their lives so we could live in freedom. The week before that I was in the Falkland Islands where the 1982 conflict is still very much at the forefront of people’s minds, particularly with the 25^th anniversary coming up next year. When I laid a wreath at the cemetery in San Carlos where all the British servicemen who died are commemorated I remembered very clearly the day the task force set sail when so many Portsmouth people, myself included, stood on the Round Tower to wave them on their way.

As the conflict progressed, the news of the sinking of HMS Sheffield, HMS Coventry , HMS Ardent and HMS Antelope together with MV Atlantic Conveyer brought home to all of us in this naval City the brutal reality of war.Some people since then have questioned whether we should have taken military action against the Argentinians and whether we should have just let them take the Falklands.

All I can say is that having now visited the Islands and met the people who live there, I am even more sure that we took the right action. It is not a matter of who owns the islands themselves, it is about the right of the islanders who live there to determine their own future. And they are very clear – they are British and they want to remain British. Sometimes it is necessary to take military action to defend that right to self-determination and democracy against aggressors who want to take that right away.

The Falkland Islands are totally self-sufficient economically with a growing tourist trade and a healthy income from fishing licences. I met many successful entrepreneurs who are setting up new businesses taking advantage of the new communications networks available.British support is confined to defence where we maintain a deterrent air presence and naval support. HMS Clyde, the new offshore patrol vessel built here in Portsmouth is due to start operations in the Falklands next year, ensuring that the link between our City and the Falkland Islands is maintained.