Britain warns Spain over Brexit threat to Gibraltar RAF base
‘There will be no agreement if it threatens the sovereignty of our military options’
‘If the deal on offer is not safe, then I will not bring it back’
BRITAIN is demanding that its RAF base on Gibraltar remains unaffected by a post-brexit border deal with Spain as talks resume today.
UK Government insiders have made clear to The Telegraph that continuing military operational independence at the site is a “red line” in the negotiations.
Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, was set to head to Brussels today to meet his opposite numbers in France and the European Union as well as the leader of Gibraltar.
There is hope that an agreement on Gibraltar’s border arrangements can be reached in the coming weeks after years of uncertainty and rounds of talks following the Brexit vote in 2016.
Early June is being seen as a deadline for a deal. The European Parliament elections are held then, which will be followed by the disruption of European Commission figures being reshuffled.
Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the tip of southern Spain, was ceded to the UK in 1713 but Madrid continues to argue it is not legally British territory.
All sides want to keep Gibraltar’s land border open with Spain because thousands of people commute between the two each day. The proposal is therefore for Gibraltar to become part of the EU’S Schengen Zone.
The key stand-off between the negotiators is what happens to the Gibraltar airport, as border checks would have to take place there instead of the land border to monitor arrivals from overseas.
The Telegraph understands the proposal being worked on is for Frontex, the EU’S border agency, to conduct the checks given sensitivities from having Spanish boots on Gibraltar’s soil.
But another issue is also emerging: whether the Spanish proposal for some form of joint management of the airport could have a knock-on impact on UK military activity.
The airstrip in Gibraltar is shared between a commercial airport and an RAF base, building on centuries of history as the Rock being used as a strategic military asset for the UK.
Hawk fighter jets that work with Royal Navy ships and Nato aircraft are often stationed at the base, as well as maritime patrol aircraft, according to the RAF Gibraltar website.
As technical discussions are had about how the Spanish can be reassured of the robustness of security checks at the airport, the UK side is making clear the RAF base must be unaffected.
A UK government source told The Telegraph: “There will be absolutely no agreement if it threatens the sovereignty of independence of our military options in Gibraltar. That is a key red line that wouldn’t be crossed.”
Lord Cameron is expected to hold talks with José Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, Maroš šefčovič, the EU’S Brexit commissioner, and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister today.
Mr Picardo said: “If the deal on offer is not safe, then I will clearly not bring it back, but I am confident that we may be able to agree on a positive and constructive way forward.”