Typical of Spain to raise issues at the last minute, says Gib Government

•When early yesterday we were alerted about what Spain had said in Brussels, we asked the Chief Minister if the Government would be taking a position on it. The reply, issued as a Press Release, was as follows: 

"The Government has noted the comments about Gibraltar made by the Foreign Minister of Spain in the morning following a meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union.

"The Chief Minister has immediately been in touch with the Prime Minister’s office in Downing Street.

In response, the United Kingdom Government has reiterated that the draft Withdrawal Agreement agreed last week covers Gibraltar. The Prime Minister has also been clear that the UK will not exclude Gibraltar from the negotiations on the future relationship and repeated that she wants to get a deal that works for the whole UK family.

"It does not come as a surprise that Madrid should seek to raise new Gibraltar issues at the last minute in our negotiations to leave the EU. Raising issues at the eleventh hour is a well known tactic that has been used by Spain in the past while we were in the EU.

"The Chief Minister of Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, said; "The language of vetos and exclusions should be the language of the past. It has no place in the modern Europe of today at a time when both the United Kingdom and Gibraltar are trying to build a new positive future relationship with the EU."

20-11-18 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR