Hands off! Liz Truss shoots down Spain’s plot to steal Gibraltar after Brexit talks

Gibraltar: ‘No future role for ECJ’ says Boris Johnson

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With a deal yet to be agreed on Gibraltar post-Brexit, the Foreign Secretary extended a deadline for talks which was due to expire on December 31. Although negotiations will be given extra breathing room, Ms Truss insisted her goal is to conclude an agreement in the first quarter of next year. Ms Truss met with her Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares on Wednesday, where she insisted the UK will continue to maintain the sovereignty of the Rock.

Asked about the presence of Spanish authorities on the border in an interview with El Pais, Ms Truss said: “I am not going to go into details of the ongoing negotiations.

“We will continue to defend the sovereignty of Gibraltar.

“That is an important principle for the UK, but we want a deal and we are making constructive and positive progress.”

In a further question, Ms Truss insisted negotiations have gone well between the parties concerned.

She added: “Our goal is to reach an agreement by the end of the first quarter of next year.

“The conversations are going well.

“The UK and Spain want a solution so that people can continue their business.

“And so we can all move on.”

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Gibraltar was not included in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement last year.

A preliminary agreement was reached between Spain and the UK at the end of last year to stop the creation of a hard border between the Rock and the EU state.

The agreement had given added responsibility to the EU’s border force but a later proposal gave more authority to Spanish officials.

The EU and UK had agreed to maintain the movement of people between Gibraltar and the wider Schengen Area.

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The mandate includes rules for establishing responsibility for asylum, visas, residence permits and police cooperation and information exchange.

The EU’s summer proposal to give Spanish officials more authority on the border was rejected by the UK Government.

Then-Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab said: “We have consistently showed pragmatism and flexibility in the search for arrangements that work for all sides, and we are disappointed that this has not been reciprocated.

“We urge the EU to think again.”

Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s co-chair of the Joint Committee and Partnership Council, said: “By putting forward this draft mandate, we are honouring the political commitment we made to Spain to start the negotiations of a separate agreement between the EU and the UK on Gibraltar.

“This is a detailed mandate, which aims to have a positive impact for those living and working on either side of the border between Spain and Gibraltar, while protecting the integrity of the Schengen Area and the Single Market.”

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega.

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