Starmer is teeing up Gibraltar for another great overseas betrayal
The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has downplayed the significance of Lammy's decision and insists that the terms of the deal with Spain are still being agreed. Nevertheless, the news of Britain giving up its influence over Gibraltar's borders has already triggered fiercely polarised reactions.
Defenders of Lammy's agreement argue that it removes a critical obstacle to stronger economic and security cooperation with the European Union (EU). The FCDO has implied that this deal would improve Gibraltar's business climate and not compromise Britain's sovereignty over Gibraltar. Britain's Europe Minister Stephen Doughty has repeatedly declared that the United Kingdom's sovereignty over Gibraltar is non-negotiable.
Critics of the deal, however, view it as an act of betrayal that will undermine Britain's border security and control over its overseas territories. Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has warned that 'the Falklands will be next' and British Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage tied the decision's timing to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spending review.
While the short-term economic benefits of this compromise should not be discounted, critics of the agreement have compelling arguments.
In a November 2002 referendum, 98.97 per cent of Gibraltarians voted against sharing the sovereignty of Gibraltar with Spain. The restoration of full British border control over Gibraltar in 2020 was the direct consequence of Britons voting to leave the EU in June 2016.
A unilateral handover of Gibraltar's border security to Spain and Europe is an anti-democratic gesture, as it was not preceded by any form of plebiscite. It also runs against the grain of current public opinion, as there is widespread support for a Gibraltar MP in the House of Commons. Most people in Gibraltar want more UK-Gibraltar integration, not less.
Moreover, it reflects an alarming willingness to undermine Britain's sovereignty over its overseas territories. Britain's handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was a blow to its global power projection and has potentially enabled Chinese expansionism in the Indian Ocean. The forced integration of Gibraltar with Spain, which has much more open migration policies and struggles with maritime illegal immigration, continues this worrying trend.
While Falkland Islands Governor Alison Blake has hailed Britain's unwavering commitment today to sovereignty of the islands, can these assurances really be believed? To anyone watching Starmer's handling of Chagos and Gibraltar, no is the justified answer.
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