
Lammy in Gibraltar ahead of further talks with EU
Talks on rules governing the border of Spain and Gibraltar have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020, but an agreement has not yet been reached.
Mr Lammy is in Gibraltar on Wednesday for talks with chief minister Fabian Picardo.
Today, with @DavidLammy and @SDoughtyMP we held a Cabinet meeting in No6 Convent Place to agree final parameters for negotiation. We will now travel to Brussels to meet @MarosSefcovic and @jmalbares. It's time to try to finalise arrangements for lasting, stable relationship… pic.twitter.com/YojYmRi0cu
— Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) June 11, 2025
He will then head to Brussels for further discussions with European counterparts on an agreement over the overseas territory.
In a post on X on Wednesday morning, Mr Picardo said it is 'time to try to finalise arrangements for lasting, stable relationship between Gibraltar and the EU/Spain which is safe, secure and beneficial'.
He also shared images of his meeting with Mr Lammy and foreign office minister Stephen Doughty.
Gibraltar was ceded to the UK by Spain in 1713 and the population is heavily in favour of remaining a British overseas territory.
The last time it voted on a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, in 2002, almost 99% of Gibraltarians rejected the move.
Gibraltar also hosts an RAF base at its airport.
The Government, in line with its Conservative predecessors, has said it will not sign up to a deal that gives sovereignty over Gibraltar to another country, or that the Gibraltarian government is not content with.
The strategic defence review, released earlier this month, said the UK would maintain a military presence in Gibraltar, 'upholding the sovereignty of British Gibraltar territorial waters'.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

South Wales Argus
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Government ‘putting its money where its mouth is' with £200m for Acorn scheme
Ministers confirmed they are meeting in full the request for development funding for the Acorn project in Aberdeenshire – the first time a government has provided funding of this scale for such a project to proceed. The scheme, which proposes storing emissions from across Scotland under the North Sea, had previously been overlooked for support despite repeated calls from the Scottish Government and others for it to be backed. With the UK Government also pledging to support the Viking carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Humber, Mr Miliband insisted the two schemes will 'support industrial renewal' with 'thousands of highly skilled jobs'. According to the sector, Acorn could support about 15,000 jobs at its peak, with up to 20,000 jobs at the Viking project. As it develops, it is planned the Acorn site will link up with the former oil refinery at Grangemouth via more than 200 miles of pipelines. An existing 175 miles of gas pipes will be repurposed for this, with 35 miles of new pipeline also being built, allowing CO2 from the Grangemouth site to be transported to Acorn's storage facilities under the North Sea. The move is seen by many as being key in securing a future for the facility, where some 400 workers were recently made redundant. Ed Miliband visited the Acorn project site near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, on Thursday (Paul Campbell/PA) Speaking as he visited the site near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Mr Miliband said: 'This Government is putting its money where its mouth is and backing the trailblazing Acorn and Viking CCS projects. 'This will support industrial renewal in Scotland and the Humber with thousands of highly-skilled jobs at good wages to build Britain's clean energy future. 'Carbon capture will make working people in Britain's hard-working communities better off, breathing new life into their towns and cities and reindustrialising the country through our Plan for Change.' Mr Miliband visited the site the day after Rachel Reeves promised funding for Acorn in her spending review – although the Chancellor did not put a figure on how much support would be given in her statement to MPs. (PA Graphics) Tim Stedman, chief executive of Storegga, the lead developer of Acorn, said: 'We warmly welcome the UK Government's support for the Acorn project and the commitment to development funding that will enable the critical work needed to reach final investment decision.' He added the 'milestone' is 'key not only for Acorn but for establishing Scotland's essential CCS infrastructure needed to grow and scale the UK's wider carbon capture and storage industry'. Mr Stedman continued: 'We look forward to working with Government in the months ahead to understand the details of today's commitment, and to ensure the policy, regulatory and funding frameworks are in place to build and grow a world-leading UK CCS sector.' Graeme Davies, executive vice-president at Harbour Energy, which is leading the Viking project, said the commitment in the spending review 'sends a strong signal' that the project is 'an infrastructure-led economic growth priority' for the Parliament. He added: 'We will work with Government on the critical steps needed to progress Viking CCS towards a final investment decision.'

Western Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Israel to deport six more activists detained on Gaza aid boat, rights group says
The six include Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who Israel had previously barred from entering Israel and the Palestinian territories, citing her support for boycotts of the country. 🚨 Messages from Rima and other members of the Freedom Flotilla crew.#FreedomFlotilla #FreeMadleen — Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 11, 2025 Israel's Foreign Ministry, which has dismissed the aid boat as a publicity stunt, posted a photo of Ms Hassan on what appeared to be an aeroplane. 'Six more passengers from the 'selfie yacht,' including Rima Hassan, are on their way out of Israel,' the ministry wrote on X. 'Bye-bye — and don't forget to take a selfie before you leave.' They were among 12 passengers, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aboard the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Israel seized the vessel early on Monday and deported Miss Thunberg and three others the following day. The last two activists are expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah, a local human rights group representing them. It said the activists were subjected to 'mistreatment, punitive measures, and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some period of time in solitary confinement'. Israeli authorities declined to comment on their treatment. Activists, including Greta Thunberg, sailed on the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel's blockage of Gaza (Salvatore Cavalli/AP) Israel says it treats detainees in a lawful manner and investigates any allegations of abuse. Israel portrayed the voyage as a media spectacle, dubbing it the 'selfie yacht'. It says the blockade, which it has imposed in various forms along with Egypt since Hamas seized power in 2007, is needed to prevent the militant group from importing arms. Critics view it as a collective punishment of Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said those activists who signed deportation documents would be deported immediately, while those who refused would be brought before a judicial authority to authorise their deportation in keeping with Israeli law. The activists have protested that they had no intention of entering Israel and were brought there against their will. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the journey, said it was aimed at protesting Israel's blockade of Gaza and ongoing military campaign there, which experts say has pushed the territory to the brink of famine more than 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war.


Metro
26 minutes ago
- Metro
Free travel for over-60s costs taxpayers £100,000,000 more than fare dodgers
Freebie travel benefits for pensioners are costing the taxpayer three times as much as London Underground fare dodgers do. More than 1.5million Londoners aged 60 and over can travel for free on London's buses, Tubes, trains and trams. But the schemes – the 60+ Oyster Card and the Freedom Pass – cost nearly £500million a year to fund, well over the £400million lost to fare-jumping nationwide, the Office of Rail and Road found. Transport for London (TfL) is predicted to spend £135million on the 60+ Oyster Card this year, up from £60million in 2016. As Britain faces an ageing population, the cost is expected to increase to £185million a year by 2027, according to an analysis by The Telegraph. The Freedom Pass for people over 66 costs London boroughs another £350million a year and will rise to £498million by the end of the decade. Almost one in 20 Tube passengers dodge fares, costing TfL £130million a year. The 60+ Oyster Card is available for Londoners aged between 60 and 65, among the highest earners in the capital, at £42,000 a year, double that of people in their 20s. TfL says 60% of 60+ Oyster Card holders are still working, with two in 10 using it to commute. The card, introduced by then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2012, is funded by tax bills and daily driving fees like the congestion charge. Speaking to Metro, Liz Emerson, chief executive of the research charity International Foundation said: 'This is a disservice to younger colleagues who are paying more for their travel than those who still work and are over 60. 'It impacts their essential spending power and helps instead those who are older and wealthy. 'This is unfair for younger colleagues who already struggle with housing costs, wages and the cost-of-living crisis. More Trending 'The least the Mayor can do is align free London travel with the state pension age. A TfL spokesperson told Metro: 'Both the Mayor and TfL are committed to making public transport in London as accessible, convenient, and affordable as possible. View More » 'We regularly review our range of concessions to ensure that they continue to benefit Londoners, while also remaining affordable for TfL to operate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Samurai sword killer 'screamed in delight' after nearly decapitating schoolboy MORE: British couple feared to have been on Air India flight named and pictured MORE: Three teenage girls admit killing 75-year-old man in the street Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.