'Don't be silly' over Falklands and Irish unity, top Tory tells Trump

The shadow foreign secretary has told Donald Trump "don't be silly" over his comments on the UK's sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and Irish reunification.

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat said the US president was trying to appeal to voters at home by making comments about the British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean and saying he would "love" to see a united Ireland.

Trump has said America's position on the Falklands is "one of many" under review, and hinted he would not help the UK in any potential future conflict with Argentina.

And the US president said on a visit to Ireland last week that Irish reunification was "going to happen eventually" and it would be a "great thing".

Britain and Argentina still dispute the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, four decades on from an armed conflict there which the UK won.

Argentina's president heightened tensions with the UK over the Falkland Islands earlier this month, saying in a presidential address that "winds of change" favoured his country's claim to the islands.

He warned he will impose economic sanctions on firms which exploit oil nearby.

In response, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK's position on the islands was "unwavering", and they would remain British as "that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders."