It was quite right for Theresa May to not mention Gibraltar in her Article 50 letter – why should the future of its people be in question in our negotiations? To do so would be to introduce a dangerous notion: that Gibraltar and its people were somehow a bargaining chip. Of course, the press will have fun with the idea that the Prime Minister forgot Gibraltar but far more plausible is Tim Shipman’s story in the Sunday Times today that the idea of mentioning it in the Brexit letter was raised several times – and rejected.
That the EU has brought Gibraltar up as part of the Brexit deals right now is strange and shows a worrying naivety on its part. Some 99pc of Gibraltar citizens have rejected Spain’s demands for joint sovereignty, so why put this question back on the table? An EU diplomat is quoted in the Guardian giving an answer: ”
“Spain are taking this very, very seriously.
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