Council solicitor begins Falklands job swap

Senior solicitor Mark Andrews of Cornwall Council has started a six-week work exchange in the Falkland Islands.

The exchange came about after the Principal Crown Council in the Falklands requested the swap. 

Mr Andrews was selected from seven applicants to change places with Rosalind Cheek. She will work in Cornwall's chief executive department.

"It's not as similar as I thought it might be, because although the law is based on English law, it's not quite the same," he said. "They've got their own laws, their own government."

Prince William has also begun a six-week posting to the islands as an RAF serach and rescue pilot for his RAF training. He was on the same flight to the Falklands as Mr Andrews.

"People knew he was on the plane, we saw him but that was about it," said Mr Andrews. "There's a possibility I could bump into him in a gift shop, but it's highly unlikely - we don't move in the same circles!"

Meanwhile, there are increasing tensions in the region as Argentina says it will go to the UN over 'militarisation' of the islands.