Charlie Smith
DEFENCE Secretary Gavin Williamson has amused the military world with his suggestion to protect Gibraltar from Spanish warships using paintballs.
The Cabinet minister put forward the idea for the Royal Navy to fire paintballs at encroaching Spanish boats during a Ministry of Defence (MoD) meeting.
A source told the Sun: “It was an excruciating moment when everyone in the room realised he was deadly serious.
“Gavin Williamson comes up with some pretty off the wall things, but firing paintballs at the Spanish Navy beats the lot of them.”
The military source said ‘Private Pike strikes again’ in reference to the loveable, stupid Dad’s Army character Williamson is often likened to.
Meanwhile, an MoD spokesperson said: “The Defence Secretary was speaking in jest about paintballing Spanish ships.
“He is in favour of the Royal Navy taking a strong stand against Spanish incursions into sovereign British waters.”
The Tory MP’s comments come as the numbers of Spanish warships entering the territorial waters of the Rock have increased to around two a day.
The number of Spanish ships entering British territorial waters shot up from 541 in 2017 to 816 last year.
Tension in the area appeared to reach boiling point following the Brexit negotiations, as the UK allowed a military submarine to dock at the Rock.
Months later Spain responded with its own inflammatory gesture by sending a Spanish warship into Gibraltar’s waters blaring its national anthem.
