EU FANS ON THE ROCKS

I shared a hotel lift with Dominic Raab on Tuesday when the Brexit Secretary was asked if conference had been successful. “Bit early to tell,” he said. A reasonable response as it didn’t end till Wednesday. Then he thought for a moment. “Actually, best to ask me again in three months’ time.”

Brexit is rough on Gibraltar. More than eight in 10 voters turned out for the 2016 EU referendum and 96 per cent backed remain.

The Rock’s 24,000 votes were counted in the UK total but that didn’t help the Gibraltarians who now face having no representation in the European Parliament.

And when the Commons gets its meaningful vote on a final Brexit deal, the Rock stubbing Spain’s toe won’t have a say in that either.

I bumped into Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and suggested it’s perhaps time Gibraltar had its own MP. He didn’t brim over with enthusiasm. I suspect because it might dilute his own power. He told me: “We’d like some representation to strengthen our link with Britain but our own MP would be devilishly difficult.” Picardo thought an MP for overseas territories might work instead. I was doubtful. The only thing the Falklands and Gibraltar, pictured, have in common is Spanish-speakers wanting to take them over. I was chatting to Theresa May when someone suggested she might care to appoint David Cameron as Foreign Secretary. There are three obstacles to this. The PM already has one in Jeremy Hunt, Cameron is no longer an MP, and he detests Brexit. Mrs May could overcome the first two by sacking Hunt and giving the ex-PM a peerage. Number three is more problematic. Being anti-Brexit is an insurmountable Cam shafter.