1 Aug, 2016 @ 10:19
1 min read

Spain’s actions risk incident in Gibraltar and are a ‘threat to British security’, MPs warn NATO

gibraltar
Gibraltar is a hot issue in the Brexit negotiations

gibraltarA GROUP of Conservative MP’s have warned the Secretary General of NATO of Spain’s behaviour towards Gibraltar.

In a letter, the group label Spain’s recent conduct as a threat to British security, and warn that it could lead to a ‘serious’ incident at sea.

They point to the more than 210 ‘unlawful incursions’ of Spanish vessels into Gib waters, labelling the Iberian state’s conduct as a NATO ally as ‘increasingly unreliable’.

The letter reads: “We are personally fearful that these incursions will eventually result in a serious incident at sea with collisions and a danger of serious injury.

“The fact that Spain impedes the free movement of NATO forces between Gibraltar and Spain is to the detriment of Western Security, for example not allowing US Naval ships to bunker in Gibraltar and then dock at Spanish ports.”

They add that Spain’s decision to not permit the UK’s Royal Air Force aircraft to overfly Spanish airspace on their way to and from Gibraltar adds an estimated cost of £5,000 to £10,000 to each flight.

The letter continues: “It seems to us that Spain’s behavior as a NATO Ally is becoming increasingly unreliable.

“The Spanish Government allows the refueling of Russian warships in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at a time when Russia has invaded the Ukraine and is aggressively testing NATO’s reactions.

“Yet the Spanish Foreign Minister makes ongoing verbal threats against Gibraltar.”

The letter comes a month after Spain proposed sharing sovereignty of the Rock with the UK following its decision to leave the European Union.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

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43 Comments

  1. What Spain needs is a government, one that is answerable to international law. At the moment, the country is a virtual anarchy with no “daddy” in charge. Consequently it is acting like a spoilt child.
    Brexit is another factor in this, encouraging an atmosphere of mutual rejection.

  2. must be a bad joke, no?
    “UK nuclear submarine collides with merchant vessel off Gibraltar. ”
    these monkeys with machine guns are a threat for the whole region.
    try to keep that nuclear sh*te in britain.
    capisce?

      • well, it seems that 1 million brits living there have to take it seriously.
        as for 3rd world holes, nothing can compare with the uk now they are out of the eu.
        not to mention that without scotland, they are less than nothing.
        enjoy your foodbanks, british food (yuk) and your shitty weather.

        • You Spanish always bang on about the weather like Spain invented a sunny day. If you took the sun away from Spain what would you have to be proud of in your cesspit of a country? Corruption, inefficiency, poverty and squalor.
          Oh and British food is streets ahead in terms of quality and choice of food availiable, compared to Spainish ‘restaurants’ and ‘supermarkets’ which seem to be stuck somewhere in the 80’s.
          Now off you go Pedro and get busy throwing your donkey off the nearest tower.

          • lets see…
            1st i am not spanish, you pelotudo.
            2nd, as far as the whole world knows the problem with that sh*thole called leftovers of the uk is not only their sh*tty weather, but also their food, women, “landscapes” (lol) beaches (lol x 1 million), their rotten teeth, their sh*itty healthcare system, insecurity, alcoholism, between 1 million probs more.
            clearly the only 3r world country in europe
            hai capito adesso pelotudo?

            and try searching where the best restaurants in the world are.
            tip: not in the sh*itty Little island

        • 309,00 UK citizens living in Spain – 90% of them retired people contributing to Spains little economy.
          129,000 Spanish living in the UK – 99.9% of them working in careers, with salaries they could never get at home.
          Go on, start deporting those evil British people – see how that ends.

          • it seems you are even more ignorant than what we thought, eh?
            and that was a lot.
            300.000 brits are those who have “los papeles en regla”.
            there are 700.000 more who will be considered illegal, now the uk is out of the eu.
            and the vast majority of them are NOT retired.
            as for the british pensioners, they are a burden in every aspect.
            be prepared to receive a flood of britons in the tiny stinky island.

        • There you are, lurking behind a keyboard Pablo, ashamed to reveal your true nationality. Using a mixture of cod-Italian and Argentine insults. What’s really bugging you, The Falklands? The Brits showed how to do deportations there.

  3. Or to put it another way Pablo. “Merchant vessel collides with submarine.” You don’t seem to object to Dictator Putin docking his armed to the teeth subs in “your” enclaves. Talking of nuclear s***e, isn’t it about time you had Palomares cleaned up? Entiende?

  4. I am born and bred in the UK and also have property in Spain. Why don’t we just give the rock back to Spain it’s served it’s purpose as a strategic post being the gateway to thd med but with modern warships, subs and fighter jets who needs this island it’s practically joint to Spain. We don’t use cannons from the holes in the rocks no more for Godsake. Just give it back its not part of us anyway!

    • It’s down to the residents there. I’m not in favour of having my property expropriated for political reasons (it happens now and again). Similarly, to have my country taken over by another – for political reasons – seems to be a bit unfair. There are 30,000 Gibraltarians. They are the ones who will be affected (doubly so, since Spain just wants the real estate). It really won’t make us sleep any safer in Madrid, or London, or Alhaurín de la Torre.

    • Incredible ignorance Alan. For starters Gib. isn’t an island, it’s an isthmus. It can’t be “given back” Britain owns it. What will the thousands of residents (born there) do afterwards? Who will own the thousands of companies registered there? Would you recommend the same thing for Northern Ireland and Scotland and Wales and the Channel Islands? The idea smacks of cowardice. Maybe a sacrifice of some other people will make you feel a bit more secure about your own little bit of Spain?

      • so you say he is ignorant?…LOL
        and that gibraltar is an isthmus?
        an isthmus is the piece of land that connect a PENINSULA with the main territory.
        so, what is gibraltar then?…..
        a tiny little peninsula.
        Hai capito adesso, genius?

        • OK picky, it’s a peninsula. Point is, it’s NOT an island. Doesn’t change the fact that you toy Conquistadors aren’t getting your grubby mitts on it. Even if you do chum up with Putin. Gib might be tiny, but it’s big enough to survive your type of bluster.

          • point is, its not an island?
            you are not the brightest of the bunch, no?
            im not spanish, so nothing to do with conquistadores.
            and a british or british wannabe like you talking about conquistadors sounds ridiculous.
            all the british have done in their awful history was stealing other peoples land.

    • 300 years and you in the UK give away Gibraltarians tight to determination. “Give back to Spain” it was not last week. Gibraltar is more British than Brits with holiday homes in Spain.

      • gibraltar is not british.
        the inhabitants are, or they think they are.
        british wannabes, we could say.
        but they are an implanted population, squatters if you want.
        so they dont count.
        got it now?

  5. Alan. A historian you are clearly not. Maybe Spain, Russia, and numerous other countries would be happy to return land that they fought for & many died for? If they do, then the Brits might consider doing likewise. Until that should happen, I suggest you appreciate the wishes of the people in Gibraltar but start reading some history now before making any more silly comments.

  6. Alan, well said! In addition this could be a good advice with regard to the Brexit. If the UK accepts the invitation of acting Spanish foreign minister Manuel Garcia Magallo for a joint British-Spanish administration of Gibraltar, then the UK may execute their Brexit and will – via Gibraltar – participate in the customs free EU market. This may be the only way to satisfy the 52% Brexit voters as well as the 48% EU voters in the UK. Otherwise the UK may loose Scotland and Northern Ireland, which is a much more painful loss than the friendly surrender of this stupid rock.
    If Mrs. May will choose to copy Margret Thatcher we may soon be confronted with a second ‘Falkland crisis’.

  7. It may have escaped your notice but the UK does not own “The Rock “. The residents of “The Rock” voted overwhelmingly to remain a British Territory , with a neigbour like Spain who really is surprised !

  8. Well said Stefanjo and Lenox. Gibraltarians will never, ever surrender sovereignty to Spain so get used to the idea because it will never happen either now or in the future. Spain seems to conveniently overlook the fact that Gibraltar is an incredibly successful place with full employment and 10,000 Spaniards cross the border everyday to work there – small matter of. There are benefits on both sides of the border with increased economic activity and tourism in La Linea so suck it up.

    • whats your level of education?
      kindergarten?
      gibraltar is NOT a sovereign state, it is a 4th class colony, then, what sovereignity are you talking about?
      and successful place?
      gibraltar??
      LOL
      it is just a tiny little rock full of smugglers and tax evaders.
      now they are out of the eu they will collapse in the worst way

  9. Wolfgang,
    while were at it why don’t all you Aryans go back to the Steppes, which are your rightful homelands. What is Germany,Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic today were the Celtic heartlands. You stole them from us, now we want them back.

    Whenever I pull you up with factual data, you go all silent. Don’t interfere with something that has nothing to do with you. Your fat frau Merkel has done enough arrogant interfering without any consultation with other EU countries – so when are you going home to the Steppes and return our Celtic lands to us? auslanders aus.

  10. Jane
    The Gibraltarians have not any sovereignity over Gibraltar. It is faculty of the Queen.

    The sucess of the gibraltarian economy comes from parasitising the spanish economy.

    In my opinión the gate must be closed,and the transit of comercial flights by the spanish sky of planes coming from or going to or Gibraltar must be forbiden. Exactly that the militar y flights have been forbiden since some decades.

    • Anselmo. If Spain got hold of Gib. they would run it into the ground. They are highly embarrassed that a tiny corner of the Iberian Peninsula shows the rest of that landmass how to be successful and also give thousands of your countrymen much-needed employment. Ask them if they would rather be employed by your dubious taskmasters. Guarantee the answer would be “NO” because the “Rock” would become just that. A rock, devoid of all profitable use.

  11. Pablo Cedron – if your not Spanish, what nationality are you, why hav’nt you let us know. Obviously you have a very bad inferiority complex, which is manifested in your comments that are nothing more than jealous bile and as you well know totally inaccurate.
    Now let us know what the real reason is for your compulsive hatred, do try and find at least a little courage to confront your obvious ‘problems’.

  12. Gibraltar is a very contencious issue for Spaniards, Gibraltarians and Brits alike. However one would hope that in the 21st century that a rational discussion backed up with facts could replace the ugly mud slinging which is evident in many of the above comments.

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