Spain's Claim To Gibraltar "Medieval And Rancid" Says Chief Minister

1 April 2017, 11:32 | Updated: 1 April 2017, 12:32

Matt Frei spoke to a very patriotic Fabian Picardo, Chief Minster of Gibraltar, about Spain using Brexit to forward its territorial aims.

Reported lobbying from Spain led to the EU's Brexit negotiation strategy outlining that decisions affecting Gibraltar will be run past the Spanish government.

Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, spoke to Matt Frei about the move, saying that it is "medieval and rancid". 

Matt first asked the Minister about whether he was upset that Gibraltar was not mentioned in Theresa May's letter to the EU, which officially notified the Union that Britain wishes to leave.

But Mr Picardo said he was not. Adding: "We have been a part of the process of consultation in the preparation of that letter."

He said that this was "tactical" and Gibraltar was "fully involved in that process". 

The Minister went on: "What I think people have found upsetting is this '.22' in the draft, and I emphasise the use of the word 'draft', guidelines that Mr Tusk published yesterday [Friday]

"I think what's upsetting is not that Spain should have sought to include us there, because Spain is obsessed with Gibraltar, she'll do anything possible to try and advance her rancid and medieval claim to Gibraltar. 

"It's that there are other European partners like the Maltese, the Irish, the Scandinavians, the Germans, that know that Spain will always try and use the European Union to advance its claim to Gibraltar. 

"It's that they should have allowed this to have crept in. Look it's implicit in the negotiation that we're going to have to talk to Spain about the relationship going forward. 

"We want to have those discussions. But to mortgage or hypothecate Gibraltar's future potential participation in any trade deal the UK may do with the European Union, which may or may not be relevant to Gibraltar when the time comes and we seal the deal, to having to agree that with Spain, is really very ungenerous."