Spain will vote against the Brexit deal agreed between London and Brussels if it does not guarantee Madrid’s veto over Gibraltar’s future status.
“As a country, we can’t conceive that what will happen with the future of Gibraltar will depend on a negotiation between Britain and the European Union,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a business conference in Madrid on November 20.
“As a consequence, today, I regret to say that a pro-European government like Spain’s would vote no to Brexit unless there are changes.”
As reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Spain’s warning is linked to the contested British territory on Spain’s southern tip may add another complication.
Spain wants to retain what it sees as its right to negotiate the future on Gibraltar with Britain on a bilateral basis, giving it an effective veto.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on November 19 said: “Until it is clear… we will not be able to give our agreement”.
Madrid has a long-standing claim on Gibraltar, which was ceded to the British crown in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
