Gibraltar’s economic future must not be endangered by colonial fantasies 

by Nick Calamaro

As reported in your paper, chairperson of the UK “European Security Committee” and lifelong Europhobe, Sir Bill Cash has stated that he is “concerned” and “alarmed” by the Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty’s, update on Gibraltar’s Brexit deal negotiations.

This outrage comes despite the fact that the Minister for Europe made clear that “the UK will only agree to terms that the government of Gibraltar are content with” and that they “will not agree to anything that comprises sovereignty”. This was confirmed by our Chief Minister and reaffirmed in the UK parliament earlier this week.

All have confirmed that Gibraltar’s sovereignty is being vigorously defended and that all the provisions being made are normal parts of a trade agreement which have been discussed since 2020.

As Gibraltarians, security, stability and prosperity should be our ultimate priority. We have to make sure that any deal signed is in Gibraltar’s interests.

What we cannot do is let ideological battles or UK Conservative infighting dictate our future.

Sir Bill is someone who has spent decades trying to sabotage the UK’s relationship with Europe, culminating in a Brexit which took away our freedoms and has already cost the UK between £100 billion and £140 billion.

Whether the British public want any more of this Conservative government will be for them to decide later this year. As Gibraltarians, we must take a firm stance that we will not have our rights, our prosperity, and our futures further eroded by foreign ideologues.

It is easy for someone with no ties to Gibraltar to be ideological about trade and freedom of movement. But those of us whose families, friends and coworkers cross the border for work know better. Those of us who can no longer make day trips into Spain with our families because Blue ID card holders are being rejected unless they book an overnight stay know better. These day-to-day issues, along with Gibraltar’s security and prosperity, should be the only focus of any treaty.

Finally, I want to touch on a specific but important part of Sir Bill’s letter - his issue with the UK exploring “practical and technical options to facilitate flights between Gibraltar and the EU”.

We have all by now heard the rumours and read the reports that a deal is within reach and that the only stumbling block is the UK’s worry about “their” airport. This is not about Spanish “boots on the ground”, a matter which I and every leader in Gibraltar have already come out against. This is about some UK politicians trying to treat Gibraltar as if we were still a colony or a military installation.

We need to send a strong message that we will not let last-gasp colonialists sabotage our prosperity or cut us off from our friends and family across the border. We cannot let those who stripped us of our rights and our European citizenship continue to dictate our future.

We urge the government, and everyone who’s worked so hard to get us to this point, to finish the job and not to let overseas ideologues interfere with a secure and prosperous outcome for Gibraltar.

Nick Calamaro is the Leader of Together Gibraltar.