Gibraltar rocks final Brexit stage

WARNING: SPAIN DEFENDS VETO OVER TINY TERRITORY

Eleventh-hour objection could mean signing of deal at summit is held up.

involving Gibraltar will be signed without Madrid’s specific assent.

“We have demanded that it be published by the British authorities before the European Council tomorrow,” Luis Marco Aguiriano Nalda, state secretary for European affairs, told reporters in Brussels.

Both British and EU negotiators said that the withdrawal agreement itself would not change at this stage, but in London a spokesperson for Number 10 had earlier said: “We will work with the governments of Gibraltar and Spain on our future relationship.”

It was not immediately clear if this promise would be enough to shift the logjam. In legal terms, Spain’s disapproval would not halt the divorce settlement, but would embarrass EU leaders keen to show that the 27 remain united despite Brexit tensions.

And, as Aguiriano noted, any final relationship negotiated between London and Brussels after Brexit day on March 29 next year would eventually have to be approved by all remaining member states – giving Spain a de facto veto further down the line.

May is due in Brussels today to see EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, but diplomats said that no more substantive negotiations would take place and that tomorrow’s summit would simply see leaders sign off on the fruits of 17 months of dialogue.

After that, May will have to sell the deal to the British parliament, The Prime Minister refused to say whether she would resign if parliament eventually votes down the legal divorce agreement.

“This isn’t about me... I am focused on ensuring we get this deal,” she said, adding that she would be touring “up and down” Britain to explain the agreement in detail. –

This isn’t about me... I’m ensuring we get this deal