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| Gibraltar warns it might 'consider joint sovereignty with Spain' in event of Brexit | Gibraltar warns it might 'consider joint sovereignty with Spain' in event of Brexit |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Gibraltar’s chief minister has warned that Spain could threaten the sovereignty of the tiny British territory if the UK votes to leave the European Union next month. | Gibraltar’s chief minister has warned that Spain could threaten the sovereignty of the tiny British territory if the UK votes to leave the European Union next month. |
| And Fabian Picardo also the territory might even have to consider joint sovereignty with Spain in order to continue to have access the single market. | |
| Mr Picardo said: “The current Spanish foreign minister has been explicit, that [leaving] might mean closing the frontier if Britain were to leave the European Union. | Mr Picardo said: “The current Spanish foreign minister has been explicit, that [leaving] might mean closing the frontier if Britain were to leave the European Union. |
| “Not the day after the vote but when the United Kingdom was actually to leave.” | “Not the day after the vote but when the United Kingdom was actually to leave.” |
| Speaking to Sky News, he added: “If Gibraltar wanted to have access to the single market and the rights we enjoy today of free movement, we would have to once again consider joint sovereignty with Spain which no one in Gibraltar is prepared to consider.” | Speaking to Sky News, he added: “If Gibraltar wanted to have access to the single market and the rights we enjoy today of free movement, we would have to once again consider joint sovereignty with Spain which no one in Gibraltar is prepared to consider.” |
| In 2013, a major dispute over fishing rights saw the Spanish border police impose aggressive controls on movement in and out of Gibraltar, resulting in six-hour queues to enter and exit the territory through the single border crossing. | In 2013, a major dispute over fishing rights saw the Spanish border police impose aggressive controls on movement in and out of Gibraltar, resulting in six-hour queues to enter and exit the territory through the single border crossing. |
| If Britain left the EU, it could pose serious problems for Gibraltar’s economy, which has boomed in recent years with high growth in its financial services sector and gambling industry. | If Britain left the EU, it could pose serious problems for Gibraltar’s economy, which has boomed in recent years with high growth in its financial services sector and gambling industry. |
| Mr Picardo said the Leave campaign “will have a lot to answer for” in the event of Brexit. | |
| Gibraltar, which sits at the tip of Spain’s Iberian peninsula, has an adult population of 23,000, representing just 0.05 of the UK’s electorate, so while Gibraltarians will get to vote in the referendum, they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the outcome. | Gibraltar, which sits at the tip of Spain’s Iberian peninsula, has an adult population of 23,000, representing just 0.05 of the UK’s electorate, so while Gibraltarians will get to vote in the referendum, they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the outcome. |
| A recent poll carried out by the Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper indicated more than 80 per cent of Gibraltar's people planned to vote and 88 per cent wanted to remain in the EU. | A recent poll carried out by the Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper indicated more than 80 per cent of Gibraltar's people planned to vote and 88 per cent wanted to remain in the EU. |
| Despite its location, Gibraltar has remained a British territory since the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Gibraltarians voted against a return to Spanish sovereignty for the territory at two referendums, one in 1967 and another in 2002. | Despite its location, Gibraltar has remained a British territory since the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Gibraltarians voted against a return to Spanish sovereignty for the territory at two referendums, one in 1967 and another in 2002. |
| However Spain maintains it has a claim to the enclave. | However Spain maintains it has a claim to the enclave. |