Yet another overseas territory shafted – is this PM’s most dangerous Brexit betrayal yet?
Spain will now have the final say on who enters a historic British enclave, and it could have far-reaching and damaging consequences for everyone
Sir Keir Starmer’s latest betrayal brutally undermines Gibraltar (Image: PA)
Fresh from signing Britain back up to the Erasmus student exchange deal with the EU – which may or may not be a stalking horse for getting back into bed with Brussels – Sir Keir Starmer may have just committed an even bigger Brexit betrayal. The PM has now agreed to give control of the British territory of Gibraltar’s border over to the EU, with next-door Spain having the final say on whether a UK citizen can enter the UK territory. So much for sovereignty.
Again, this comes hot on the heels of Labour agreeing to pay billions more to the EU to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus programme. As I wrote yesterday, while at face value there is nothing inherently wrong with giving UK students the chance to study in Europe, is this really the best use of taxpayers’ money since funding for Erasmus is set to rise exponentially?
Could the UK have not better spent the cash creating a Commonwealth version of Erasmus, with frankly more superior universities not just in the likes of Australia and Canada, but also Singapore? Plus, our students can at least speak the lingo there! Moreover, Britain could better spend these funds investing in greater innovation and technologies having been unshackled from the EU, especially its much-criticised GDPR regime.
Yes, a deal needed doing between Gibraltar and Spain – 15,000 people cross between the two every day – but why has the final say on who goes into Gibraltar been given to Spain? Why has a British territory effectively become part of the EU’s passport-less Schengen zone? Why do UK citizens need their application vetted by Spain and the EU if they want to move to this UK territory?
With some Labour MPs calling for a new custom union deal with the EU, are we about to witness a great Brexit betrayal (especially so if Labour thinks Reform is set to win the next election)? What better way to screw Nigel Farage than to land this on his desk?
Having already given up fishing rights in UK waters to Brussels, Sir Keir is still in negotiations on a food and drink deal to align the UK with EU rules.
First Erasmus. Now Gibraltar. What next? Britain has a Commonwealth to rebuild. Instead, the Labour government wastes time on this sclerotic and geriatric collection of ex-empires trying to recapture their faded glory.
