UK parliamentarians voice confidence in ‘sensible’ Gib treaty after Rock visit

Conservative MP Martin Vickers described the UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar as “the sensible way forward” after meetings on the Rock during a visit with Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, a crossbench peer and fellow member of the all-party parliamentary group on Gibraltar in the UK Parliament.

Mr Vickers, the group’s vice chairman, said the purpose of the visit was to hear directly from people on the Rock so that when the treaty was debated in the UK Parliament, MPs could speak “from firsthand experience”.

After touring the airport and discussing how new immigrations arrangements will work in practice, Mr Vickers said he was content that the negotiating red lines had been respected.

“I think having walked to the route, I would say that I’m satisfied that it is a sensible arrangement,” Mr Vickers told the Chronicle.

“There were red lines during the negotiations and none of those have been crossed.”

He added: “Every negotiation has to have an element of give and take, otherwise you never reach agreement.”

“But the crucial red lines regarding sovereignty and so on have not been crossed.”

The visiting parliamentarians met the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst; visited the military base to meet Commander British Forces Commodore Tom Guy; spoke to retailers on Main Street; and walked through the new airport infrastructure with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

They also met the Commissioner of Police, Owain Richards, vice chancellor at University of Gibraltar Professor Catherine Bachleda and the Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi.

Mr Vickers said the discussions had underlined the need for a practical relationship with Spain given Gibraltar’s cross-border workforce and links in areas such as healthcare.

“We know from previous experience that there is 90 odd percent support for retaining links with the UK,” he said.

“But the reality is you’ve also got to have a working relationship with Spain.”

On concerns raised by retailers, Mr Vickers said some had pointed to the pressures already facing the sector, including online competition and rising electricity costs, and were concerned about the impact of the forthcoming transaction tax once the treaty is implemented.

“But the important thing is you’re going to retain and probably increase your tourist trade as a result of this,” he said.

“So there are pluses and minuses, as in every treaty.”

Mr Vickers said he expected important questions to be asked when the treaty reached Westminster and said the Conservative opposition front bench would likely seek a debate as part of the ratification process, adding this was unlikely to be concluded until the autumn.

But he signalled too that, based on what he had heard so far in Gibraltar and London, there was no indication of any serious attempt to block it.

“There will always be voices that make noises for political rather than practical reasons,” he said.

“And that’s one of the reasons we should have a debate [because] every corner should have its say.”

Mr Vickers envisaged no problems with the ratification process in the UK Parliament.

“I suspect that although questions will be asked, the UK Parliament will accept this,” he said.

“And the reality is, of course, that you've got a Labour government who have negotiated this and they've got the numbers.”

“So if the government, as they obviously do, support the treaty, then it will pass.”

Baroness Butler-Sloss echoed much of that sentiment and said she was “delighted” with the proposed UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar, describing it as an agreement that would bring certainty while protecting sovereignty and acknowledging the Rock’s strategic importance at a time of global tension.

The crossbench peer said the purpose of the trip was to listen rather than speak ahead of any debate in Westminster.

“Both Martin and I have come not to talk, but to learn,” Baroness Butler-Sloss said.

She said she hoped to be able to speak in the House of Lords on the basis of direct conversations in Gibraltar.

Central to her assessment was a strong endorsement of the agreement.

“The treaty is excellent,” she said.

“It’s going to give a degree of certainty to people.”

Baroness Butler-Sloss said she had also been reassured by the proposed arrangements at the airport, including for non-resident British travellers.

“I think they’re perfectly sensible,” she said.

A key theme for the crossbench peer was Gibraltar’s importance as a strategic chokepoint.

Reflecting on recent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, Baroness Butler-Sloss said such chokepoints had “really concentrated our minds” on narrow maritime passages that “are likely to be closed or could be closed”.

“And this is one of the narrowest,” she said of the Strait of Gibraltar.

She said she had wanted reassurance that the Ministry of Defence, police and armed forces in Gibraltar fully recognised the significance of such a narrow passage and came away satisfied that they did.

She pointed too to continued US and British military activity in Gibraltar as evidence that the Rock remained “crucial” to allied defence planning.