‘Why should we trust you?’ MPs tear into Labour over Gibraltar after Chagos ‘surrender’_Nhy
A senior Tory MP tore into the Government this afternoon, demanding “why should we trust you” after a minister downplayed recent border tensions with Spain over Gibraltar.
MPs accused Labour of emboldening Spain after their recent “surrender” of the Chagos Islands, pointing out that the Blair government tried to give away the southern European territory when Labour was last in power.
Mark Francois took to the Commons to blast that History shows us “again and again that appeasement doesn’t work.”
“It was inevitable that after the abject surrender of the Chagos Islands – for that is what it is – the Spanish would try and exert pressure on Gibraltar.
“Hon. members shake their heads, the Government is so embarrassed by the Chagos deal they won’t even tell the House of Commons what we’re going to have to pay to rent back our base!
A stand-off broke out between Gibraltar and Spain last week. (Image: Getty)
“Under Blair, Labour tried to sell [Gibraltar] out for joint sovereignty, and a referendum killed it. So as we couldn’t trust you on Gibraltar before, why on earth – after what you’ve done to Chagos and the Chagosians – should we trust you now?”
He was joined by fellow Tory MP Dr Caroline Johnson, who pointed out that while the Government talks about “negotiations”, “this government doesn’t have a great track record on negotiations”.
“What did they get from the train driver negotiations? Other than a lot of very cold pensioners!
“What did they get from the negotiations with the Chagos Islands? They appear to have given away sovereign territory and paid for the privilege! How can we trust this government with the safety of Gibraltar?”
Labour’s Anneliese Dodds hit out at the ‘playground tone’ of the attacks, quoting the leader of the Falklands who said anti-Labour attacks are “more about party politics, blame gaming and Tory Party leadership issues than they are about the sovereignty of people living in overseas territories”.
She insisted: “We very much respect their right to sovereignty and in that context, it is critical we focus on the facts of the matter and not seek to obtain party political advantage from them.”
“It is inappropriate to politicise these matters. The UK Government could not have been clearer about British sovereignty over the whole of Gibraltar including British Gibraltar territorial waters.”
Mark Francois tore into the Government. (Image: Parliament Live)
Travel chaos erupted in Gibraltar on Friday morning after workers were forced to wait in significant queues at the border following an incident that appeared to have been the result of a tit-for-tat.
Surprise border controls were requested by Spanish police on October 11 between La Línea and Gibraltar despite passport checks being suspended during Brexit negotiations over the Rock.
As a result, authorities in Gibraltar requested passports instead of the usual ID cards from non-British citizens wishing to enter the British Overseas Territory.
The Rock’s government said that by 7.30am a huge queue had formed at the border as many disgruntled workers became increasingly late for work.
An estimated 15,000 Spanish workers cross the border to the Rock every day, while many Gibraltarians have second properties in Spain.
The situation lasted for approximately 45 minutes between 7am to 7.45am.
The Gibraltar government claimed that a Spanish police inspector, who was not authorised to give that instruction, had issued the order on Thursday night to start requiring Gibraltarians to have their passport stamped to cross into Spain.
The Mayor of Algeciras and PP senator, José Ignacio Landaluce, has urged the Gibraltar government not to use Spanish cross-border workers as hostages to exert pressure during negotiations regarding the future relationship between the British colony and the Campo de Gibraltar.
