Political reporter
ReutersBritish sovereignty over Gibraltar remains “sacrosanct”, the foreign secretary has said, after the UK agreed a deal with the European Union over the territory’s post-Brexit future.
David Lammy told the House of Commons the agreement included a clause “explicitly protecting our sovereignty”.
The deal removes checks on people and goods crossing the Gibraltar-Spain border.
However, some MPs raised concerns Spanish border officials would be able to deny entry to UK citizens flying into the British Overseas Territory.
For travellers arriving at Gibraltar airport, passport checks will be carried out by both Gibraltarian and Spanish officials.
This is similar to the system in place for Eurostar passengers at London’s St Pancras station, where travellers pass through both British and French passport control before boarding international trains.
This means it will be possible for arrivals to continue their travel from Gibraltar into Spain and the rest of the EU without further checks.
But Lammy insisted Gibraltar would not be joining the Schengen free travel area – 26 European states that have abolished passport control at their mutual border so people can travel freely.
Schengen countries also have common rules on asylum and countries whose nationals require visas.
Lammy said it was “fake news” that Gibraltar would be joining Schengen and “this was never on the table”.
“Immigration, policing and justice in Gibraltar will remain the responsibilities of Gibraltar’s authorities,” he added.
Talks on the rules governing the border between Spain and Gibraltar – a 2.6 square mile headland to the south of the country – have been ongoing since the UK left the EU in 2020.
The issue had been a key sticking point, which has remained unresolved since Brexit.
MPs broadly welcomed the deal, which has been hailed as “historic” by Gibraltar, Spain and the EU.
Giving a statement in the Commons, Lammy said Labour was “solving the problems leftover from the last [Conservative] government and their thin Brexit deal”.
He added that the deal “removes another obstacle to closer ties with our EU friends” and “provides much needed certainty for people and businesses in Gibraltar”.
An estimated 15,000 people cross the Gibraltar-Spain border every day for work and leisure.
Currently, Gibraltar residents can cross using residence cards without needing to have their passports stamped, while Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card.
But there were concerns this would end with the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit system later this year, causing huge delays at the border.
Lammy said without a deal every passport and all goods would need to be checked leading to “chaos and backlogs, endangering livelihoods of British citizens in Gibraltar, wrecking the territory’s economy and possibly costing hundreds of billions of pounds a year, placing pressure ultimately on the UK taxpayer to pick up the bill”.
FCDOThe next step is for a full legal text to be finalised, which Lammy said all parties were “committed to completing as quickly as possible”.
The Conservatives have said they will examine the the final treaty to ensure it meets their red lines, including that it safeguards the sovereignty and rights of Gibraltarians.
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel also questioned whether Spanish officers would be able to stop British citizens coming to stay in Gibraltar.
Lammy insisted the only difference to what Conservative ministers had previously been negotiating was the sovereignty clause, which he said would ensure there was no question over Gibraltar’s status.
The UK has had sovereignty over Gibraltar since 1713, although this is disputed by Spain, who claim the territory as their own.
Public opinion in Gibraltar, which has a population of around 32,000, is in favour of keeping British sovereignty. The most recent referendum, held in 2002, saw almost 99% of voters reject a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain.
The UK said there would also be full operational autonomy for the UK’s military’s facilities in Gibraltar, where the airport is run by the Ministry of Defence and hosts an RAF base.
Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Helen Maguire welcomed the agreement, while calling for Parliament to get the opportunity to scrutinise and vote on it.
However, Reform UK have described the deal as a “surrender”.
Deputy leader Richard Tice raised concerns Spanish border officials would have “an effective veto” on British citizens from the UK landing in Gibraltar.
Lammy clarified that if there was an alert in relation to an arrival Spanish border guards and police would work alongside Gibraltarian police.
An individual would have the right to legal advice and be able to either return to their country of origin or go to Spain to face questions.
