Gib treaty must safeguard UK sovereignty and military autonomy, Lammy says

The UK is committed to agreeing a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar “as soon as possible” but any deal must be acceptable to the Gibraltar Government and protect both British sovereignty and the UK’s “military autonomy”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in an interview on Monday.

Mr Lammy was speaking to El Pais ahead of a meeting in Spain on Monday of the G5+ group, which brings together France, Germany, Poland, the UK, Spain, Italy and the European Commission.

The G5+ meeting was dominated by European security issues against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But asked during the interview about the Gibraltar negotiation, Mr Lammy said: “All parties agree on the importance of reaching an agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom.”

“I welcome the progress made.”

“These are complex negotiations that take time, but we are committed to reaching that agreement as soon as possible."

"But I have already made it clear that we will only sign something that protects the sovereignty of Gibraltar and the autonomy of the military base the UK has there.”

“And any agreement must have the full support of the Gibraltarian Government.”

On Monday evening, Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, posted an image on his social media of himself standing alongside Mr Lammy.

The two met on the sidelines of the Madrid gathering and their meeting, Mr Albares said, was “productive”.

“Our close relations benefit our citizens,” Mr Albares wrote on X.

“Together, we defend democratic values, European security, and peace in the face of Russian aggression.”

“We both want an agreement on Gibraltar.”

Productivo encuentro con mi homólogo de Reino Unido @DavidLammy. Nuestras estrechas relaciones benefician a nuestros ciudadanos. Juntos defendemos los valores democráticos, la seguridad europea y la paz frente a la agresión rusa. Ambos queremos un acuerdo en relación a Gibraltar. pic.twitter.com/HWpGU2pbdP

— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) March 31, 2025