Gibraltar caught in Brexit battle

London, April 2: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday insisted that she would “never” allow Gibraltar to slip from British control against the wishes of Gibraltarians as the issue took centre-stage in early Brexit wranglings.

Ms May told the chief minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo that “we will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.”

Her comments came as Spain pledged it would not close its border postBrexit with the 6.7square-kilometre British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain.

On matters of trade, the EU has said that Spain would have to agree to extend any deal between the bloc and the UK to also cover Gibraltar.

Gibraltar is not for sale. Gibraltar cannot be traded. Gibraltar will not be bargained away — BORIS JOHNSON British foreign minister

This means that Madrid could potentially block Gibraltar’s access to any trade deal, and politicians in “the Rock” fear that Madrid will use the veto to seek sovereignty over the peninsula.

UK foreign minister Boris Johnson also said the territory “will not be bargained away”. — AFP