Spain is told to ‘back off’ its demand to share Gibraltar
BRITAIN last night warned Spain to “back off” over demands for shared sovereignty of Gibraltar.
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo insisted “the Spanish flag on the Rock” is now much closer after yesterday’s historic referendum. He had previously pledged to pounce on Gibraltar “the very next day” if Britain votes to leave the EU.
The British Overseas Territory voted overwhelmingly to Remain, with 95.9 per cent of voters backing the status quo.
Last night the Government rejected Spain’s fresh demand for “cosovereignty” of the 2.6 square mile enclave. Foreign Office minister David Lidington said the UK “will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state”. He said: “I know many will be concerned about the future. I want to be absolutely clear, the United Kingdom will continue to stand beside Gibraltar. “We will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against your wishes. “Furthermore, the UK will not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.” Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo, who shared a platform with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in May in support of the Remain campaign, wrote on Twitter yesterday: “We have surpassed greater challenges. It is time for unity, for calm and for rational thinking. Together and united we will continue to prosper.”
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 in the Treaty of Utrecht but Spain has made repeated noises about taking it back.
In 2013, a dispute over fishing rights saw Spanish border police impose controls on movement in and out of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar’s economy is dependent upon a workforce of 10,000 people who cross through the frontier with Spain every day.
A referendum on joint sovereignty in 2002 saw 98 per cent of citizens of the territory back remaining British. The Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce yesterday said it was “disappointed” at the result of Britain’s EU vote.