Can David Lammy solve the Gibraltar dispute?

The British government is preparing to lodge a formal complaint with Spain over Gibraltar. Spanish military aircraft have twice flown over the Rock in the past ten days: once on 27 September, reportedly while a commercial British Airways flight was taxiing on the local airport’s runway, and then again on 30 September. These flyovers (thought to have been by Spanish Air Force cargo aircraft) might seem harmless – but the British government disagrees.

The timing of the flyovers couldn’t be worse. They come shortly after the latest round of talks in Brussels between Spain, Gibraltar, the UK and EU about the Rock’s post-Brexit status. Of central importance to these negotiations are the questions of Gibraltar’s airport, airspace and its land border with Spain (now also a UK-EU frontier).

Spain wants ‘joint use’ of Gibraltar’s airport – but for Damid Lammy, the UK’s foreign secretary, the practical implications of such an arrangement are far from clear.