Brexit: Spain doubles down and warns it will reject May's deal without Gibraltar concessions

Spain’s prime minister has doubled down and warned his country will reject the Brexit agreement negotiated by Theresa May, unless it is given concessions on Gibraltar.

Pedro Sanchez said his government needed assurances that the deal does not apply to the British Iberian territory, which Spain claims sovereignty over.

Speaking in Madrid, Mr Sanchez said: “If there are no changes regarding Gibraltar, Spain will vote No to the agreement on Brexit.”

Spain takes issue with a clause added to the withdrawal agreement at the last minute – article 184. The article says the EU and the UK will seek to “negotiate rapidly the agreements governing their future relationship” before the end of the transition.

But Spain wants an addition to the text specifying that Gibraltar is excluded from those talks, and that it is for Spain and Britain to negotiate the future of the territory bilaterally.

Downing Street has however said it believes both the withdrawal and agreement and the future relationship will apply to Gibraltar.

Because the withdrawal agreement will be approved by qualified majority vote of the European Council, Spain alone cannot sink the deal without the support of other countries – though it could veto a future trade agreement down the line.

Pedro Sanchez, Spanish prime minister

The demand presents a dilemma for negotiators, however – as Brexiteers on the British side also want to reopen talks on the withdrawal agreement to gain more concessions, but have been told they must accept it as it stands.

Other countries such as France and Denmark are understood to have other concerns with the plan, which they see as too soft on the UK – because it does not guarantee their fishing fleets access to British waters.

Mr Sanchez has now thrown his weight behind his foreign minister, who raised concerns with the plans at the start of the week.

“The negotiations between Britain and the EU have a territorial scope that does not include Gibraltar, the negotiations on the future of Gibraltar are separate discussions,” Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell had said on Monday morning in Brussels.

“This is what needs to made clear, and until it is clarified in the withdrawal agreement and in the political declaration on the future relationship, we cannot give our backing.”

Spain has long resented Britain’s claims on Gibraltar, a British overseas territory that is home to around 30,000 people, and has previously threatened to use Brexit to wrest concessions on the issue.

The Gibraltar issue is also controversial with the Spanish public, with successive governments benefiting politically by grandstanding on the matter.

The upsurge in interest in the Gibraltar issue could be down to the fact that the Spanish region of Andalusia has local elections scheduled for 2 December – just a week after the final Brexit summit.

Andalusia borders Gibraltar, and includes the county of Camp de Gibraltar – or “countryside of Gibraltar”. Around 10,000 Spanish people cross the border into the British overseas territory every day to work, so their livelihoods are connected to Brexit talks.