Britain will give in to Gibraltar demands of Spain, says Barnier

MICHEL BARNIER has predicted that Britain will cave in to Spanish demands over Gibraltar during Brexit talks between Eu-backed Madrid and London.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said Spain could use the “lever of unanimous solidarity” from the other 26 member countries of the bloc to get its way over the Rock.

Madrid has made a string of demands, including the joint control of Gibraltar’s airport, cross-border cooperation over smuggling and ending what Spain sees as a tax haven with far lower corporation rates by its shores.

“This lever is there and the British know it well,” Mr Barnier said, “and I think that the lever of solidarity we have given to Spain will be effective.”

The EU gave Spain an effective veto over any final Brexit deal, including the transition period, applying to Gibraltar, the subject of centuries of wrangling over its sovereignty. That put a political time bomb under the ongoing Brexit negotiations because Britain insists it will not leave Gibraltar behind when it quits the EU.

Relations were strained after David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, said that the transition deal extending Britain’s single market and customs union membership would apply to Gibraltar at a Brussels press conference.

“Mr Davis can explain what I want, but I know what’s in this agreement,” Mr Barnier told Spain’s El Espanol.

“I am the representative of Spain in this negotiation, as well as the other 26 countries,” he said before agreeing the Spanish demands were reasonable.

Mr Barnier said the European Council would need to assess the situation if no deal was made but “normally” it would mean Gibraltar would leave the EU without a transition deal in place.

“Do not put me in this scenario. My scenario is that, thanks to this lever, there will be an agreement between the United Kingdom and Spain.”

Mr Barnier said that the EU would press for a deal that granted EU fisherman continued access to British waters after Brexit and pointed out that 60 per cent of UK processed fishing products were sold to the single market.

“We are going to seek a balanced agreement between our access to British territorial waters and their access to our markets,” said the French former commissioner, tipped to take over from Jean-claude Juncker as the next European Commission president.

Asked about his ambitions, he said: “Brexit, Brexit and Brexit. I will not be disturbed by other considerations.”

The next round of Brexit negotiations begins on Monday.