Spain warned Britain it faces a permanent hard border on Gibraltar on Friday after imposing surprise checks on the Rock’s frontier that resulted in “huge” queues.
Madrid has heaped pressure on Britain over Gibraltar since Sir Keir Starmer last week surrendered the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands but the Prime Minister insists the Rock, ceded to Britain in 1715 after being captured from the French in 1704, will stay British.
Gibraltar had “no choice but to reciprocate”, with its own controls, Fabian Picardo, the chief minister, said as he described the Spanish decision to insist on passport stamping as “hugely regrettable”.
An estimated 15,000 Spanish workers cross the border to the Rock every day, while many Gibraltarians have second properties in Spain or travel to the neighbouring region of La Linea to go shopping.
Both sides have turned a blind eye to post-Brexit travel restrictions, which limit visa-free travel to 90 days in every 180 and insist on passport stamps.
The interim measures have spared Gibraltar residents and Spaniards from using up their 90 days and bought time for ongoing negotiations over a post-Brexit Common Travel Area between Spain and Gibraltar.
The Rock’s government said that by 7.30am “a huge queue” had formed at the border after Spanish guards insisted on stamping the passports of those with Gibraltar residency cards.
Gibraltar began their own checks before both sides stopped the checks at about 11 am.
One Gibraltarian woman told the Gibraltar Chronicle she asked why she was stopped as she tried to cross into La Linea to go shopping.
“I asked for my passport back and returned to Gibraltar,” she said after a guard said he had instructions to stamp passports.
The Brexit deal for Gibraltar aims to make the crossing between the two jurisdictions by land frictionless by moving the border to the Rock’s airport and making the British Overseas Territory part of the EU’s Schengen Zone.
However, talks have stalled on sovereignty grounds and whether Spanish border guards will have boots on Gibraltar ground to police entry to Schengen.
Madrid warned on Friday it would abide by new EU electronic border rules, which make it impossible to continue turning a blind eye to passport checks and the hard border permanent unless a deal was done.
“Spain is ready for the Entry-Exit System to come into force on the date set by the European Commission, which is responsible for that decision and which the Spanish government and the interior ministry will abide by,” a spokesman for the interior minister told The Telegraph.
Spain, which claims sovereignty over Gibraltar, has historically tightened controls at the border to exert leverage and score political points.
On Wednesday, a British Airways flight from Gibraltar to London was cancelled after Spanish border guards refused to follow established protocols allowing passengers to fly from Malaga airport when their flight is diverted.
The flight was diverted because of poor weather conditions on the Rock, but the airline cancelled the return leg after Spanish officers refused to allow non-EU passengers in Gibraltar to be ferried to Malaga.
Earlier this week, Spain’s foreign minister warned the UK to accept the “generous” Brexit demands before new EU electronic border rules came into force on Nov 10. Brussels has since delayed the deadline.
Former armed forces minister and Tory MP Mark Francois, said, “It’s absolutely no surprise that, following Labour’s abject surrender of the Chagos Islands, Spain is now also trying its luck, by exerting pressure on Gibraltar.
“This hapless Government simply doesn’t understand that appeasement hardly ever works and now the consequences are playing out. Hopeless!”
“This action by Spain occurred without any prior warning whatsoever,” Gibraltar’s government said in a statement.
“After further investigation, it became apparent the decision to suspend the interim measures had not been made by or notified to the Spanish ministers of the interior or the exterior.
“It appears that the instruction was given in writing by an officer of the Spanish Policia Nacional in La Linea, of the rank of Inspector, who was not authorised to give that instruction by his superior.”
Spanish media accused Gibraltar of being behind the delays, which Mr Picardo branded the “usual untruth”.
José Ignacio Landaluce, mayor of Algeciras and a senator for Spain’s conservative People’s Party, warned Gibraltar not to “use Spanish cross-border workers as hostages as part of a show of strength in the context of the current negotiations”.
“Interim arrangements were changed by Spanish police without notice, affecting Spanish and Gibraltarian workers and ordinary people alike,” Fabian Picardo, the chief minister, said.
“Sections of the regional Spanish media blaming Gibraltar is the usual untruth. A UK/EU Treaty will avoid these issues. The absence of it will exacerbate them.”
He added, “Our balanced compromise proposals guarantee the security of Schengen and the integrity of the Single Market whilst being sovereignty neutral.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said, “We are committed to concluding a UK-EU treaty which protects sovereignty, UK military autonomy and secures future prosperity for Gibraltar and the region. All sides agree on the importance of finalising an agreement as soon as possible.”
“The application of EU law in this matter is the responsibility of Spain. The negotiations on an EU-UK agreement on Gibraltar are ongoing,” a European Commission spokesman said.
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