Gibraltar chief minister discussing the Rock’s election and Brexit
Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo says his government and the UK are on the cusp of clinching the last big deal to complete Brexit and guarantee the sovereignty of the Rock as a British Overseas Territory.
But with Gibraltar’s 20,000 voters going to the polls on Thursday, Mr Picardo has warned that a defeat for his Gibralter Socialist Labour Party could set the clock back years on a massive deal which will unleash new prosperity.
The Chief Minister, who has been in power since 2011, has forged strong relationships with the UK’s Conservative government and recently welcomed Foreign Secretary James Cleverly as a guest.
But he warned that the deal to secure Gibraltar’s future was the final piece in the jigsaw of completing Brexit and Britain’s departure from the EU.
Despite most of the population voting against Brexit, Mr Picardo now believes that it has opened new opportunities.
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Gibraltar has been under British control since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 resisting numerous attempts by the Spanish to claim it back.
A key British naval base remains on the Rock guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean.
Since Brexit Gibraltar has been negotiating alongside the UK which protects its sovereignty but gives it access to the EU’s Schengen free movement zone.
He told Express.co.uk: “We really are on the cusp of being able to achieve with the support of the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, a seminal historic deal for Gibraltar between the United Kingdom and the European Union.”
He joked: “We’re probably one of the final dishes left in Brexit.”
Mr Picardo went on: “We’ve been working very hard to get the right deal, we haven’t wanted to go too fast and get the wrong deal that might involve concessions, we wanted to go carefully.
“And with the support of the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister, we think that we are very close to being able to do a historic deal for the people of Gibraltar, that would actually mean that Brexit might deliver something very positive for Gibraltar, rather than something very negative.”
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However, he warned that the talks had taken several years and are not yet complete with the most recent phase lasting two years.
He went on: “If the team doing that negotiation for Gibraltar changes, I have no doubt that Spain will press the reset button, and will want to test the mettle of the new team.
“They know that my team is resolved in the protection of every aspect of the sovereignty of Gibraltar.
“I think they will want to test a new team to see whether they can get some concession and therefore we will lose precious time if we are not returned as the government of Gibraltar on the 13th of October.”
Despite heading the Socialist Party, Mr Picardo has the support of many Conservatives for his economic policy and handling of the Gibraltar negotiations.
One prominent member said: “I have no qualms as a Tory voting for the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party. They are the most ideologically similar to the Conservatives.”
Another said: “Even though the GSD is supposed to be a sister party, how could I vote for a party that harbours and promotes antisemites”.
The election is for 17 seats meaning just nine are required to hold the majority.
Mr Picardo’s opponents are the Social Democrats led by Keith Azopardi with the Socialist Labour Party currently holding a narrow lead in the opinion polls.
Mr Picardo said the talks with the EU and Spain cannot be agreed “until everything is agreed” in echoes of the UK’s withdrawal agreement from the EU.
There had been concerns that the Spanish elections would cause problems but the results seem to have pulled Spain back into the talks.
Spain regularly makes it difficult for people to enter or leave the territory as part of its pressure to get Gibraltar back and there are hopes that this deal will put an end to that.
Mr Picardo is concerned that if there is a delay in the talks it will be made worse by the UK election next year.
He noted that he has “a superb relationship” with the British government and is the only Chief Minister to have met four British Prime Ministers on an official basis.
He said: “The Conservatives have opened the door of Downing Street to me, they haven’t looked at my political label, they’ve looked at what I do and how I do it.
“And they have therefore seen that we want to work very closely with the United Kingdom on all matters, whether it’s how government is run, how you see good government in an overseas territory or whether it’s the international issues that face Gibraltar in the United Kingdom
“We really worked in partnership with the Conservative government in the United Kingdom.”
Mr Picardo has developed a very close relationship with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly describing him “as one of my best friends in politics.”
Cleverly was a personal guest for the Gibraltar National Day celebrations earlier this year becoming the first Foreign Secretary to attend.
Picardo added: “I’m sure that James was very clear in his view that by being here, he was sending a signal of his commitment to the cause of the self-determination of the people of Gibraltar, to the importance of Gibraltar National Day, and also the importance of showing the UK support for our negotiations about future UK EU treaty on Gibraltar.”
Mr Picardo said that the Brexit deal will be “a very big opportunity for Gibraltar” and should be “a win, win for everybody.”
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