Far-Right to test Catalans in court

VOX, Spain’s nascent far-Right political party, has seized the chance to challenge Catalan separatists in the dock at a long-awaited trial into their bid to declare independence.

Vox will exploit a legal quirk to join prosecutors in questioning Catalan politicians accused of holding the illegal 2017 referendum on independence.

Nine Catalan politicians are currently in custody facing trial for rebellion, among other offences. Three former Catalan government members face lesser charges.

In a bid to soothe tensions ahead of the trial on Tuesday, Pedro Sánchez, the socialist prime minister, offered con-

‘To win power, Sánchez changed from supporting direct rule to bending the knee and surrendering before secessionism’

cessions to Catalonia’s pro-independence government, including a plan to name a neutral rapporteur in planned talks over the future of the region.

But the Popular Party (PP), in power when the referendum was held, and liberal Ciudadanos have respectively accused Mr Sánchez of “treason” and “villainy” for caving in to pressure.

The PP, Ciudadanos and Vox will use a demonstration in Madrid today to demand Mr Sánchez’s resignation and elections. Dolors Montserrat, the PP’s spokesman in Congress and a Catalan, told The Sunday Telegraph: “To win power, Sánchez changed from supporting direct rule in Catalonia to bending the knee and surrendering before secessionism.”