The Shadow Foreign Secretary has raised “serious concerns” about a treaty Keir Starmer has agreed with the EU and Spain over Gibraltar, claiming that it smacks of a “dodgy cover-up”.Priti Patel’s warning comes as the Government faces mounting pressure to U-turn on its plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. It’s now feared Gibraltar – another British overseas territory that also contains a key UK military base – will suffer a similar fate after think tank Fact4EU shared with the People’s Channel details of a negotiated 700-page treaty.Britain originally seized Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession and formally secured sovereignty under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, maintaining control of the strategically vital territory at the entrance to the Mediterranean ever since.
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Although consistent polling suggests a majority of residents back remaining under British control, recent developments cast doubt over this longstanding arrangement.On February 10, the Government of Gibraltar held a meeting with the Opposition Party in Gibraltar to brief them in complete confidence on the deal that has been inked.GB News has since learnt from Brexit Facts4EU that the EU Commission will release the text of the entire UK-EU Gibraltar treaty to the EU public this week. Meanwhile, our own MPs still remain in the dark. “This is outrageous,” said Shadow Minister Wendy Morton, standing in for Priti Patel while she is in meetings in Washington. “For this Labour Government to leave MPs without any chance to read through a 700+ page document and comment as the public would expect is completely unreasonable.”This courtesy has not been extended to His Majesty’s Official Opposition in the UK, nor to any other British parliamentarian, for review and scrutiny. This lack of transparency comes despite the assurances of then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy that “Parliament will be able fully to scrutinise the treaty, and to debate the terms of the treaty if it wishes” on June 12, 2025. Yet on February 19, the UK Minister for EU Relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, also appeared to confirm the deal had already been agreed.In a video of a meeting of diplomats and businessmen in Madrid obtained by Facts4EU, Mr Thomas-Symonds answered affirmatively yet appeared reticent to discuss Gibraltar. “The Treaty will obviously be published shortly, so everybody will be able to see the details. I’m delighted and pleased that the agreement has been reached,” he said on February 19. The deal, which remains shrouded in secrecy, is set to be signed in just six weeks by the EU Council, and it will also require a vote in the EU Parliament.It appears the Council intends to designate the sprawling Treaty as “EU-only” despite a principal signatory being the United Kingdom, a non-EU member.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSValdo Calocane carried out killings after ‘workers feared detaining him was racist’, inquiry toldHuge blaze engulfs London church as 70 firefighters rush to tackle raging infernoAfghan knifeman arrested at German train station after attacking Jehovah’s WitnessesThis would mean that the agreement would avoid having to be ratified individually by all 27 member states, skipping a process that can take years. By taking this route, the Treaty could come into force far more quickly than would otherwise be possible.Buried for months from Parliamentary sight, Priti Patel claims sovereignty guarantees have once again “fallen apart” under a secret deal negotiated by the Government. “For months we’ve heard nothing from them while the Spanish and EU have been meticulously briefed,” Ms Patel told GB News.“Labour has serious questions to answer about the treaty they’ve negotiated with the EU over Gibraltar. “For months, we’ve heard nothing from them while the Spanish and EU have been meticulously briefed. A Treaty draft has been agreed, but Labour ministers are not bringing it to Parliament yet.“We already know that the claims previously made by Labour about the inclusion of sovereignty clauses have fallen apart, while there are also serious concerns about the powers the Spanish and EU will be able to exercise and the limits that could be placed on British nationals visiting Gibraltar. “This is causing uncertainty that must be addressed by Labour publishing the Treaty so we can review and scrutinise it.“With Labour seeking to reverse Brexit with their so-called EU reset, until they come clean with the treaty, it will seem like they are involved in a dodgy cover-up and have something to hide.”While the details of the treaty have not been released to the public, the Government’s previous dealings on Gibraltar may shed some light.In June last year, the Government agreed to have the Gibraltar border policed by Spanish guards. This meant that travellers arriving by air in the British Overseas Territory will see “dual border control checks” by Spain’s and Gibraltar’s officials. Also revealed in the Joint statement on EU-UK Agreement in respect of Gibraltar was a commitment to “strong cooperation between the respective customs authorities and removing checks on goods”.It also promoted “level playing field commitments on State aid, taxation, labour, environment, trade and sustainable development, anti-money laundering, and transport – including the airport; the rights of frontier workers and social security coordination“The creation of an appropriate financial mechanism to promote cohesion and support training and employment in the region has also been agreed”.Facts4EU argued that this places Gibraltar within the orbit of EU law, subject to its directives and regulations. The final sentence further suggests that the UK will be required to meet the financial costs of implementing these arrangements.Responding to a request for comment, an Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Spokesperson said:“The Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, gave a briefing on the Treaty to the Shadow Foreign Secretary as recently as 12 January. The UK is continuing to work alongside the Government of Gibraltar to finalise the treaty text, and we have consistently made clear that the Treaty will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny in the normal way, once it has been finalised.”Our Standards:
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