Conflicting claims have emerged over a proposed post-Brexit agreement that could see EU border agents stationed in Gibraltar—raising fears over British sovereignty, while government officials insist the Rock will not join the EU’s free movement zone.
According to The Telegraph, the deal—negotiated by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo—would see EU or Spanish guards conducting passport checks on Britons landing at Gibraltar’s airport.
Suella Braverman, the former UK home secretary, told GB News:
We are absolutely furious about this deal. It’s another unbelievable and unimaginable betrayal… We will now be in the absurd situation where British people, arriving on sovereign British territory, will have to show their passports to foreign officials.
However, Picardo publicly rejected Braverman’s claims, writing: “Except, it’s not true Suella Braverman.”
Adding to the confusion, a Foreign Office source told GB News that Gibraltar joining the Schengen Zone is “categorically untrue” and “has never been on the table.” Instead, they say the deal focuses purely on border fluidity for workers and residents.
Talks are ongoing in Brussels between Lammy, EU Brexit negotiator Maros Sefcovic, and Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares.
Still, officials on all sides believe a final agreement is within reach.
Gibraltar, ceded to Britain in 1713, has long rejected Spanish control. In a 2002 referendum, nearly 99% of residents opposed joint sovereignty.
