Foreign Secretary quizzed in Commons on McGrail Inquiry report 

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper faced questions on the McGrail Inquiry in the House of Commons on Tuesday during an evidence session before the Foreign Affairs Committee on the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 

Ms Cooper was quizzed on whether the full Inquiry would be published, as well as questions on progress with the negotiation for a UK/EU treaty on the Rock’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc. 

“Has the Government received a copy of the McGrail Inquiry report?” asked Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello. 

Ms Cooper replied: “I understand that we do have information on it. I have not yet seen the details of it.” 

Mr Morello asked whether the UK Government had the full report or a redacted version of it. 

“I don’t know the answer to that,” Ms Cooper replied. 

That drew an intervention from Sir Oliver Robbins, Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO.  

“We are looking forward to publication of the Inquiry’s report, but we see this primarily as a matter for the [Gibraltar] Government,” he said. 

Labour MP Emily Thornberry, the committee’s chair, said MPs saw the matter as one “for us to oversee”, adding they too would want to see the report and if the UK Government was unable to provide full details, “we will want to know”. 

Mr Morello asked whether the Government saw any potential for the Chief Minister to use powers passed last year under the Inquiries Act allowing redactions to the report. 

Ms Cooper said she understood the “concerns for transparency” being expressed by the committee. 

“My expectation would be that there will be a publication, but I will pursue this issue and get back to you,” she said. 

The Foreign Secretary was quizzed too on the ongoing treaty negotiation. 

She said the negotiating parties hoped to be able to publish the legal text “as swiftly as possible”. 

“The political agreement obviously was reached, but I think we're not yet ready to be able to publish the full treaty,” Ms Cooper said. 

She said the document would be published and laid in the UK Parliament, adding “there'll be plenty of opportunities to scrutinise the treaty”. 

Mr Morello asked whether the Foreign Secretary envisaged any situation where publication of the McGrail Inquiry report might delay the completion of the treaty negotiation. 

“I would not expect that and certainly wouldn't want to see that at all,” the Foreign Secretary replied. 

“This has been an ongoing negotiation on the details, where a political agreement has already been reached and signed up to by the government of Gibraltar, by the UK and Spanish governments, and it's really important that that is taken forward as rapidly as possible.”