Declassified files reveal British interest in Falkland Islands oil

Before the Falklands war, Britain vigorously defended its claim to potential oil reserves around the islands. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/PA

British ministers were keen to exploit oil around the Falkland Islands before and after the 1982 conflict, declassified British government documents show.

In a previously unpublished letter, the former chancellor Norman Lamont said the revenues from Falklands oil should go to the British government, not the Falkland islanders.