Picardo to discuss Brexit with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo will today meet with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in London to discuss ongoing negotiations for a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar.

The meeting follows Mr Picardo’s visit to London for the start of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment’s public duties, including a Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

Standing outside Buckingham Palace, Mr Picardo said he was confident an agreement could be achieved by the Easter deadline, despite the impact of international developments on the diaries of key players in the process including top officials at the European Commission and ministers in UK and Spain.

"Given that I'm in London, I've taken the opportunity to seek a meeting with the Foreign Secretary, I'm going to see her [on Tuesday]," Mr Picardo said.

"The Foreign Secretary is very involved in the negotiation and works very closely with her team and my team on ensuring that the Gibraltar position is well understood in Brussels and in Madrid."

"We continue optimistically to seek to finalise arrangements for a treaty to be put in place as soon as possible and we're still working to try and achieve agreement by the Easter break.”

“I am very confident we will be able to do that if all sides are ready to do so.”

“Given the fact there is so much going on with the war in Ukraine, the fact that the Foreign Secretary has made time to see me is a demonstration of how committed the British government as a whole, but in particular this Foreign Secretary just like the former Foreign Secretary, are to getting these arrangements right and to getting them done in a timely fashion."

It is hoped an agreement will allow a common travel area between Gibraltar and the Schengen zone.