John Culatto
ALLIES of Gibraltar in the UK Parliament were briefed yesterday on the latest news from post-Brexit talks with Spain.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia held a virtual meeting with members of the Gibraltar All Party Group.
A Gibraltar delegation was in Madrid this week for the latest round of talks.
The group includes members of the House of Commons and the Lords and are led by Group Chair Sir Bob Neil MP.
“The meeting included a broad cross spectrum of Members from the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and the Democratic Unionist Party,” said the Government.
“The Chief Minister explained the objectives for an agreement on the future which does not cross Gibraltar’s red lines on sovereignty, jurisdiction and control.
“The Deputy Chief Minister provided an update on the plans for leaving the transition at the end of the year without an agreement.”
There were many questions from the group, and the members expressed their continued support for Gibraltar going forward.
Mystery death
In a separate development, the Royal Gibraltar Police has finished its excavation of the Trafalgar Cemetery.
The RGP have been helping the Hampshire Constabulary search out new leads over the death of Simon Parkes.
The 18-year-old HMS Illustrious radio operator disappeared after going ashore in Gibraltar in 1986.
A huge search was carried out for him across Gibraltar to find answers for his shocked parents.
Last year a search of Trafalgar Cemetery yielded ‘no conclusive results’.
Archaeologists were involved in the latest search with both police forces.
Detective Inspector Adam Edwards of Hampshire Constabulary said: “We cannot provide further details about the outcome of these searches at the current time.
“We have kept Mr and Mrs Parkes informed of our progress and I’d like to thank them again for their support.
“We know this remains a difficult time for them and we hope our work will finally bring them the answers they so desperately want.”
“I’d like to thank our colleagues at the Royal Gibraltar Police for their assistance with this latest operation and the public in Gibraltar for their patience during this activity.”
