Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reiterated his “unshakeable commitment” to Gibraltar and its British sovereignty during a bilateral meeting with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo in London on Thursday.
This was their first formal bilateral meeting since the UK general election last summer, with the ongoing negotiations for a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar and support for the Rock the main issues on the agenda.
The Prime Minister met the Chief Minister in the margins of the UK/Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council on Thursday, immediately after he met with leaders of the OTs alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Europe and Overseas Territories Minister, Stephen Doughty.
“The Prime Minister reiterated his unshakeable commitment to Gibraltar and to UK sovereignty,” No.10 Downing Street said in a statement.
“The two leaders discussed progress on UK-EU Treaty negotiations and their shared determination to reach a deal that assures future prosperity and security for Gibraltarians.”
“They reflected on their shared experience of working in the legal field, including in the Overseas Territories, and looked forward to meeting again.”
In a statement, No.6 Convent Place said the Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the continued support from the UK Government and the “firm stance on sovereignty” being taken by the UK, as reflected in the Prime Minister’s message to Gibraltar on National Day.
The meeting came as the Chief Minister and Prof John Cortes, the Minster for the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Education, attended the Joint Ministerial Council of the Overseas Territories hosted by Stephen Doughty the Minister for the Overseas Territories and Europe, with responsibility for Gibraltar.
The Chief Minister additionally also had a bilateral meeting with Mr Doughty at Carlton Gardens earlier in the week, in which they discussed the ongoing negotiations as well as other current issues on which the governments are engaged.
A bilateral meeting was also hosted at the Ministry of Defence by Luke Pollard, the Armed Forces Minister who visited Gibraltar earlier this year.
In the course of the week, Mr Picardo also held meetings with Shadow Foreign Minister Priti Patel, an informal briefing with several members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and its chair, Emily Thornberry, as well as Lord Ricketts, the chair of the European Affairs Committee in the House of Lords.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, hosted a working session with Overseas Territories leaders which the Chief Minister also attended.
The Chief Minister addressed the opening session of the JMC on the future relationship between the UK and the Ots, as well as a session where he related Gibraltar’s experience on tackling illicit activity and the benefits of good regulation, No.6 said.
The programme included attendance at the diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace where the Chief Minister was able to speak with King Charles and the Prince of Wales.
A joint communique agreed at the plenary on the JMC will be released in due course, No.6 added.
“It’s been a real pleasure to meet with the Prime Minister once again to have the first formal sit down bilateral joined by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe, together with the Minister for the Environment from Gibraltar who was with me at the JMC, and Glendon Martinez, the Chief Secretary,” Mr Picardo said.
“We had the opportunity to discuss with the Prime Minister all of the issues that alive in the negotiation.”
“He was well briefed by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe, very supportive of the positions that Gibraltar and the United Kingdom together, negotiating hand in glove, are taking in that negotiation, and in particular very supportive of how the United Kingdom would act in supporting Gibraltar in the event, which we hope will not materialise, of a no negotiated outcome to the negotiation.”
“So I’m very pleased indeed with the engagement that we’ve had during the course of this week, in particular with UK Government Ministers, the Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, but also talking to wider members of the UK Parliament, including the current Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel and Wendy Morton, who’s retaining shadow responsibility for Gibraltar and engaging across the House of Commons, and also with the Foreign Affairs Committee led by Emily Thornberry, an old friend, and Lord Ricketts in the House of Lords who is looking at European issues in the House of Lords.”
“All in all, a very fruitful week of hard work, engagement and keeping the issue of Gibraltar at the top of parliamentarians agenda in the UK and at the top of Government’s agenda here during the course of the Joint Ministerial Council.”
