Fears are mounting that David Cameron will sell out Gibraltar and the UK will lose its sovereignty in the area, as the Foreign Secretary prepares to visit Brussels to discuss the rock’s post-Brexit trade arrangements.
Lord Cameron, who held the Brexit referendum, will chair a meeting of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement partnership council with European Commission executive vice president Maros Sefcovic tomorrow (May 16).
He is expected to continue talks on a UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar alongside Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, which will be the second meeting of its kind.
However, some MPs fear that Lord Cameron is “prepared to concede an arrangement” which would “erode UK sovereignty to the point of meaninglessness”.
David Cameron set to sell Gibraltar out in EU 'capitulation'
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Last week, the Commons European scrutiny committee wrote a letter to David Rutley, the UK minister for Gibraltar, asking that negotiations be paused until a deal was arranged which would help retain the rock’s sovereignty.
“A deal must not be pursued irrespective of the cost,” the letter, signed by Sir Bill Cash, said.
“Rather than being assured that you are pursuing a deal that strikes this balance and, most importantly, respects UK sovereignty, we are concerned that you are allowing the pendulum to swing too far in the direction of the EU.
“I will be frank. Your evidence on the border, alignment with the Schengen acquis, and the airport speaks to a serious diminution of UK sovereignty.
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“We ask that you consider these points carefully and do not continue along a track that is deleterious to the UK’s vital national interests, the people and businesses of Gibraltar, and the overseas territories more generally.”
Lord Cameron is leading negotiations with the EU in regards to a new deal to end a four-year political impasse. A deal including Gibraltar is required as it was not included in the wider EU-UK trade pact struck in 2019.
Last month, officials announced that they had agreed on the “core elements” of a potential deal and Madrid is understood to be pushing for the treaty to be signed before the European Parliament elections on June 6.
Gibraltar is technically out of the EU’s customs union, however, Madrid has granted a temporary exemption for workers and holidaymakers - leaving the headland in a state of limbo since Brexit.
Spain could retract the deal at any point, so the current negotiations are aiming towards agreeing common travel between Gibraltar and the Schengen zone.
Some MPs fear that Lord Cameron is 'prepared to concede an arrangement' which would 'erode UK sovereignty to the point of meaninglessness' on the territory
GettyThe European Union and Spain have recently resumed their longstanding plans to make Gibraltar’s airport a point of access for travellers into southern Spain, which would see it join the Schengen Zone.
Some also believe that joint ownership of the airport would negatively impact the UK’s military, as the airstrip is shared between the commercial airport and the RAF base.
Sir Bill also expressed anger that Gibraltar airport was being discussed as part of the negotiations, saying: “Any role for Spain in the management of the airport or change to its status, no matter how seemingly small or innocuous, must be ruled out.
“The airport and the isthmus on which it sits are of significant strategic importance, and their future cannot be risked for an air service agreement for a handful of commercial flights per year to EU member states.”