Spain still ready to vote against Brexit unless it sees changes on Gibraltar

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S¨¢nchez on Thursday reiterated that Spain will vote against the Brexit deal on Sunday unless the text is altered to reflect Madrid¡¯s position on Gibraltar.

¡°Following my conversation with Theresa May, our positions remain distant. My Government will always defend the interests of Spain. If there are no changes, we will veto Brexit,¡± he tweeted as he landed in Havana for a two-day visit to Cuba.

There is a Spanish national interest that is not being sufficiently defended

Aide to PM Pedro S¨¢nchez

The Spanish executive considers that the Wednesday telephone conversation between S¨¢nchez and May did not have the desired effect: May did not accept Spain¡¯s demand to have the last word on whether any future arrangements negotiated between Brussels and London will benefit Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory that was ceded to Great Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht.

Although the Brexit deal could still secure passage with a qualified majority despite opposition from Spain, sources within the delegation that has traveled to Cuba with S¨¢nchez said it would be ¡°unthinkable¡± for the withdrawal agreement to go ahead ¡°without the consensus of the 27.¡± They also warned that ¡°if the political declaration is not unanimous, there is no declaration,¡± alluding to a draft text on the future relationship that will also be voted on Sunday.

¡°There is a Spanish national interest that is not being sufficiently defended,¡± said the same sources.

My Government will always defend the interests of Spain. If there are no changes, we will veto Brexit

PM Pedro S¨¢nchez

On Thursday, May said in the House of Commons that ¡°British sovereignty over Gibraltar will be protected.¡± She mentioned the telephone conversation, underscoring that ¡°I was absolutely clear with him.¡±

May also underscored the cooperation that has led to a preliminary agreement on memorandums of understanding on a set of issues of particular concern to the communities that live in and around Gibraltar, including taxation and cross-border workers.

Marco Aguiriano, Spain¡¯s secretary of state for the EU, has voiced concern over a clause of the Withdrawal Agreement (known as Article 184) that he said has been introduced ¡°under the cover of darkness.¡± Spain believes that this clause could be used to include Gibraltar as a beneficiary of any future trade arrangements between the EU and UK, without requiring Spain¡¯s prior approval.

Aguiriano said the European Commission and Council¡¯s legal services have provided verbal assurances that Article 184 does not undermine Spain¡¯s position regarding Gibraltar. ¡°This requires clarification. If they tell us there is no risk, let them simply put in down in writing,¡± he said, suggesting that Spain might accept an addendum to the main text.

The other option would be to delay approval of the deals by voting against them on Sunday. ¡°It is possible to stop the clock and call a new summit,¡± warned Aguiriano.

English version by Susana Urra.