Spain to vote against Brexit accord if text on Gibraltar not changed

Spain will vote against the European Union’s draft Brexit deal on Sunday unless it is modified to make clear that the future of the disputed British territory of Gibra­ltar relies on talks between Madrid and London, Pri­­me Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

Spain’s demands on Gibr­altar are the latest push by EU states to obtain more on national interests ahead of Sunday's summit of EU leaders, but diplomats said there was little concern these would scupper prospects for a deal.

“As of today, if there are no changes with respect to Gibraltar, Spain will vote no to the agreement on Brexit,” Sanchez said during a conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

According to EU rules, the withdrawal treaty is adopted by qualified majority and not unanimity. So a single state like Spain cannot block it. The EU's executive said it was aware of Spain's concerns and it expected the issue to be resolved.

A small peninsula on Spain's southern coast and a British territory since 1713, Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations. Spain has long claimed sovereignty over it. Gibraltar is due to leave the European Union along with the United Kingdom in March, although 96 per cent of its population voted in the 2016 referendum to remain in the bloc.

Sunday summit 

While Spain last week initially welcomed a protocol on Gibraltar in the draft Brexit agreement, Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on Monday said there was confusion over Gibraltar in the main body of the agreement. That needed to be clarified in the broader political declaration on the new relationship between the EU and the UK, Borrell said. Sanchez reinforced that message on Tuesday. "If on Sunday in the @EUCouncil the Brexit deal does not recognise that Gibraltar's situation must be negotiated directly between Spain and the United Kingdom, this government will not accept it," Sanchez said on Twitter.

PM May finds support in BoE chief
 

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney gave his backing to a Brexit deal struck by British Prime Minister Theresa May, saying the alternative of leaving the European Union with no transition could be akin to the 1970s oil shock.

"We have emphasised from the start the importance of having some transition between the current arrangements and the ultimate arrangements," Carney said on Tuesday. "So we welcome the transition arran­g­ements in the withdrawal agreement ... and take note of the possibility of extending that transition period." 

Court to hear case on stopping deal

The European Court of Justice will at the end of this month begin hearing a legal challenge brought by anti-Brexit camp­aigners to force the gover­nment to spell out how Britain could revoke its notice to leave the EU. The hearing comes after the Britain was refused permission on Tuesday to appeal to the Supreme Court. "The best, the really comp­elling, the objective evidence that all options are still on the table is the desperation with which the government acted to try and block MPs from see­ing the clear path to remain," said Jolyon Maugham, a lawyer.