UK and Spain guarantee voting rights

The governments of Spain and the United Kingdom have signed an agreement to safeguard voting rights in local elections for their citizens residing in the other country regardless of the way Brexit unfolds.

Britain's Brexit minister Robin Walker said the agreement is the first of its kind for Britain with a member of the European Union.

Mr Walker was in Madrid for the signing on Monday. A photo of the signing [above] was tweeted by Simon Manley, the UK's ambassador to Spain.

Some 300,000 British citizens living in Spain and 175,000 Spaniards who are resident in Britain and Northern Ireland will be able to vote and run in local elections that both countries are due to hold in May, officials have said.

Spain's state secretary for EU affairs Marco Aguiriano said the agreement will enter force with Britain's departure from the EU, whether at the end of March as initially planned or later and with or without an agreement between the two sides.