European judges to rule over Gibraltar: Brexit deal will mean the Rock would ... trends now
European judges could rule on disputes involving Gibralatar and the Rock territory under a new Brexit deal, ministers have admitted.
The Rock territory will also have to follow some EU rules under the agreement, in order to secure a more open border with Spain, the Foreign Office said.
Tory MPs have expressed 'considerable alarm' over the concessions the UK has agreed to, and questioned whether British sovereignty of the territory might be compromised as a result of the deal.
UK minister for Gibraltar, David Rutley, emphasised to the Commons European Scrutiny Committee that defending the sovereignty of Gibraltar was a 'red line'.
The concerns have been raised as Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is leading talks with the EU in a bid to secure a deal and end the post-Brexit impasse, with officials announcing last month that the 'core elements' of the pact had been agreed upon.
The Rock territory will have to follow some EU rules under the agreement, in order to secure a more open border with Spain , the Foreign Office said
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is leading talks with the EU in a bid to secure a deal and end the post-Brexit impasse
Britain has been locked in talks over Gibraltar's future since it left the European Union in 2016, ending freedom of movement between Spain and the territory.
The sovereignty of the territory, which was ceded to the British from Spain in 1713, remains a source of tension between the UK and Spain.
Its inhabitants voted twice to reject Spanish sovereignty in 1967 and 2002. In 2016 they voted overwhelmingly (96%) to stay in the European Union.
Madrid continues to claim sovereignty over the spit of land, which is located on the southern end of the Iberian peninsula.
It is pushing for a treaty over the territory's post-Brexit future before crunch European parliament elections on June 6.
But pressure from Tory MPs has been mounting after a Foreign Office civil servant involved in the negotiations admitted that concessions include European Court of Justice (ECJ) having influence there.
He told MPs at the Commons European Scrutiny Committee that while the Luxembourg-based court would not enforce the 'direct application' of EU rules on the Rock there could be cases 'where there may be [a] referral'.
The chairman of the committee, Sir Bill Cash, said that its role was focused on its sovereignty.
