Walter Finch
GIBRALTAR’s Chief Minister has publicly dismissed reports that the UK has agreed to hand control of the Rock’s border to Spanish or EU guards.
Fabian Picardo described the claims as ‘untrue and misleading’ on social media, adding they should be ‘entirely disregarded’.
Picardo also expressed his disappointment with The Telegraph, directly contradicting the newspaper’s reports about border arrangements at Gibraltar airport.
The British newspaper had quoted sources in Brussels as informing them that the UK and Gibraltar had agreed a deal which would see Spanish or EU border guards processing British passport holders, rather than Gibraltar officials conducting the checks.
READ MORE: Spanish boots on the ground? UK to ‘hand over control of Gibraltar border to EU and Spain’ – report
The claims took hold like wildfire, sparking further charges that the UK government had abandoned its overseas territories after the controversial decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius last month.
Picardo also took time from the ongoing negotiations to inform former Home Secretary Suella Braverman that the claims are ‘untrue.’
“Another surrender and a handover in all but name. This government consistently undermines Britain, and it is absolutely unforgivable. The Falklands will be next,” Braverman had written on social media.
Picardo’s comments comes as he continues negotiations in Brussels with Foreign Secretary David Lammy, EU Vice-President Maros Sefcvic, and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares over Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with Spain and the European Union.
The Chief Minister’s rejection of the reports addresses one of the most sensitive aspects of the ongoing negotiations.
Border control arrangements have been a key sticking point in talks, with any suggestion of Spanish involvement in Gibraltar’s borders likely to raise sovereignty concerns among the territory’s residents.
The Telegraph’s report had suggested that the arrangement would be part of Gibraltar joining the Schengen free-movement zone as an associate member, which would allow continued free movement between the Rock and Spain for the 15,000 Spanish workers who cross the border daily.
Picardo has previously stated that any agreement must protect Gibraltar’s people and maintain the territory’s British identity, while also securing economic benefits through continued European market access and an open border with Spain.
The negotiations aim to resolve Gibraltar’s status following Brexit, which left the territory outside the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the EU.
Since then, the border has operated in a legal grey area, with both sides maintaining flexibility to keep it open.
Without a formal agreement, the introduction of the EU’s new electronic Entry Exit System could potentially create significant delays at the border crossing, affecting both Spanish workers and Gibraltar’s economy.
The Chief Minister has not provided further details about what border arrangements are actually being discussed in the Brussels negotiations.
Gibraltar’s government has consistently emphasised that any deal must work for the territory’s residents whilst maintaining the Rock’s connection to Britain.
The ongoing talks represent the most advanced stage of post-Brexit negotiations for Gibraltar to date.
The negotiations continue in Brussels as officials attempt to find a solution that addresses the practical challenges of keeping the border open whilst resolving the legal and political issues created by Brexit.
