The leader of Gibraltar has denied Dominic Raab's speculation about a «secret plan» to hand over parts of the Rock to Spain. Credit: Paul Beeris/Moment RF Gibraltar leader denies Dominic Raab's «secret plan» proposals; hand over parts of the Rock to Spain.
First Minister Fabian Picardo denied Raab's claim that Gibraltar's sovereignty had been threatened by a non-staff official during the Brexit negotiations.
Mr Raab accused Hugh Elliott, the UK ambassador to Spain, of a secret offer to put Spanish boots on the ground in Gibraltar during Brexit negotiations at the end of 2020. Raab resigned from his positions as deputy prime minister and justice minister on Friday after an official report found he had taunted the official.
Mr Picardo called the ambassador a «protector of Gibraltar». on Saturday, telling local media: “Hugh Elliot is a dedicated patriot, friend of Gibraltar and the cause of the Gibraltarians. No one should think otherwise."
The brawl on the Rock now risks eclipsing the 13th round of Brexit negotiations on Gibraltar, which will be held in London on Monday and Tuesday.
Mr. Elliot remains a key player in these negotiations to settle the contentious post-Brexit rules for Gibraltar, which shares a land border with EU member Spain.
Dominic Raab resigned from his positions as deputy prime minister and justice minister on Friday after a report found him guilty of bullying. Photo: Jeff Pugh/Jeff Pugh
Allies of Mr Raab say Mr Elliott, an ambassador since 2019, suggested that some Spanish officers might be on the Rock to control entry into the discussed common travel area.
Mr Elliott was removed from the front lines of negotiations while Mr Raab was foreign secretary after, according to the minister's allies, he overstepped his mandate in the cabinet on the issue of sovereignty.
But Mr. Mr. Picardo said he had never seen any evidence that Mr. Elliott was freelance in politics.
“We have not seen any statements or actions by Mr. Elliott that are anything other than in support of our positions and their pursuit or results, which the governments of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom are jointly pursuing,” he said.
“British sovereignty over Gibraltar has never been endangered,” Mr. Picardo told local GBC television.«I have never seen any diplomat do anything that would jeopardize anything that the Government of Gibraltar felt on behalf of the people of Gibraltar was an inviolable principle or even jeopardize any aspect of the negotiations.»
«There is no secret plan to try to give Gibraltar or try to give some Gibraltar.» what we could be afraid of in the 70s, 80s, 90s,” he added.
Mr. Elliot was branded as a “wet wipe”. Jacob Rees-Mogg as the former business secretary defended Mr. Raab.
"You cannot intimidate the ambassador, and if you can, the ambassador is useless" he told Sky News.
"Ambassadors must have the backbone to represent the country abroad. Is our ambassador a complete wet napkin?"
The British Embassy in Madrid declined to comment on the scandal, as did the Spanish Foreign Minister and the European Commission.
No deal yet< p>While the UK completed a free trade agreement with the EU before the end of the transition period in December 2020, negotiations on Gibraltar, which was excluded from the Brexit agreement, were not completed on time.
Since then, the border No deal has been struck with Andalusia.
Spanish border guards turn a blind eye to regulations requiring them to stamp Gibraltarians' passports when entering the EU if they can show ' to a resident.
If passports had been stamped, Gibraltarians would soon have used up their 90-day post-Brexit limit. visa-free travel per year because many have homes in Spain or travel there regularly to shop and socialize.Meanwhile, around 10,000 people arrive in Gibraltar from Spain every day to work on British soil , which is an economic lifeline for the underprivileged border town of La Linea.
Madrid, London, Brussels and Gibraltar have agreed on a common goal in the Brexit talks, which is to create a common travel zone with free movement between Skala and the mainland Spain. .
This will move the border to the port and airport of Gibraltar, which will become the entry point to the EU's passport-free Schengen area.
But Gibraltar will not accept Spanish border guards guarding the border at the airport, which almost exclusively flights depart to or arrive from the UK.
Dispute with Spain
Spain ceded a rocky outpost at the mouth of the Mediterranean to Great Britain in 1713, but has long called for its return.
In 2002, 99% of Gibraltar voters rejected the idea that The UK will share sovereignty with Spain, and in 2016, 95.9% voted to stay.
There were hopes. compromise involving Frontex, the EU border agency screening arrivals in the new common movement area, but a final agreement remains elusive.
The UK and EU teams last officially met in January. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez said «we are very close to an agreement» and Mr. Picardo said they were «on the verge» of reaching an agreement.
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