Suggesting treaty will undermine British sovereignty is ‘abhorrent’, CM says

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo on Wednesday told Sir William Cash, the Brexiteer chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, that he found “abhorrent” the suggestion that the UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar would diminish the Rock’s British sovereignty in any way.

He was reacting after MPs on the committee quizzed Foreign Office minister David Rutley and suggested aspects of the treaty amounted to “a significant diminution of British sovereignty”.

The Chief Minister said the UK and Gibraltar were working as one in the negotiation but that MPs would benefit from hearing directly from the Gibraltar Government and that Gibraltarians were “the best guardians” of the Rock’s sovereignty.

“I want to be clear immediately that the impression some of your members have expressed, that British sovereignty will be diminished in any way by the agreements we are seeking, is one that is abhorrent to me,” Mr Picardo said in a letter to Sir William, later released by the Gibraltar Government.

“As Chief Minister of Gibraltar I am not prepared to cede an iota of our British sovereignty.”

“Were there any such risk, my team would have walked away from these talks immediately. We would still do so even today.”

The Chief Minister reminded the committee that Gibraltar and the UK had “very developed plans in place” in the event of a non-negotiated outcome.

“We are confident also that we have the full backing of your Committee and the British Parliament for the practical and economic support that would be required should an unacceptable proposal block these negotiations,” he said.

“The fact is that the change in our relationship with the EU, and the fact that we were not included in the initial UK TCA, has led to protracted and complicated negotiations which we continue to engage in on a very positive basis with UK, the European Commission and Spain, which is our neighbouring Member State.”

“Mr Rutley gave very clear answers at your session today, but I have been involved in this process since the outset and Gibraltar’s perspective is, I hope you will agree, crucial.”

“Additionally, conflation with the issues that have affected Northern Ireland is neither accurate nor helpful.”

“This is why I think the Committee would find it helpful to have an update from His Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar which I think would go a long way to answering concerns on the very specific issues that relate to Gibraltar.”

“As I have told Parliament and your Committee in the past, Gibraltar is British, British, British and it will remain so entirely.”

“That is unchangeable and the people of Gibraltar have always been the best guardians of that.”

Mr Picardo made himself available to address the committee at the earliest opportunity, expressing regret that an earlier offer had not been taken up and that a letter he addressed to committee MPs had “uncharacteristically, not had the benefit of a reply”.