Government and Opposition work together to ‘ensure Parliamentary unity’ on Brexit negotiations

The Gibraltar Government and the Opposition will seek to work together on opportunities to show the strength of feeling in Gibraltar on aspects of the coming Brexit negotiations.
In a joint statement by the Government and Opposition issued by the Gibraltar Parliament yesterday the Government and the Opposition said it would seek to work together to “ensure Parliamentary unity on future aspects of such citizen action which may include petitions, demonstrations and other opportunities to show the strength of feeling in Gibraltar on aspects of the coming Brexit negotiations”.
The statement confirmed the GSD had agreed to suspend the collection of signatures on its petitions so that the matter could be considered at the first meeting of the Select Committee on exiting the European Union next week.
Last week the GSD launched petitions to both the UK and EU Parliaments calling on the people of Gibraltar to ‘say no to clause 22’. Although the Government welcomed the GSD’s initiative it called on the Opposition to withdraw the petitions as it felt the “underlying request” in both of these had been “overtaken by events or is not appropriately geared”.
Yesterday’s statement is as a result of a meeting held last Thursday between the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia and the Leader of the Opposition Daniel Feetham and Deputy Leader of the GSD Roy Clinton.
At this meeting the joint statement said “there was an open and friendly discussion on the best way forward in relation to the petitions that the Opposition had put forward, which was both positive and constructive.”
According to the statement, it was agreed that the idea of petitioning appropriate organs of the European Union and separately the House of Commons, was in principle a worthwhile exercise on which both the Government and the Opposition intend to work together.
The first meeting of the Select Committee on exiting the European Union has been set for Wednesday 19 April.
The joint statement read that “as a result of their meeting last week, the Opposition has agreed to suspend the collection of signatures on its petitions so that these issues can be considered by the Select Committee at that juncture.”
When contacted by the Chronicle the Leader of the Opposition Daniel Feetham said he did not want to be drawn on the matter but did state that “Gibraltar needs this right now.”