Britains Foreign Secretary warns that

Brexit poses serious threats to Gibraltar

Philip Hammond visited
the Rock on Wednesday,
the first time a UK Foreign
Secretary has done so
since David Miliband was
there in 2009
:: DEBBIE BARTLETT
GIBRALTAR. UK Foreign Secretary
Philip Hammond was in Gibraltar on
Wednesday, where he held several
meetings and made absolutely clear
his belief that a vote to leave the EU
would be devastating for Gibraltar.
This was the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to the Rock
since 2009, when David Miliband
held the post, and Mr Hammond
managed to pack a great deal in to
his short visit.
As well as meeting representatives
of the Royal Navys Gibraltar Squadron, the Gibraltar Defence Police, the
Royal Gibraltar Police and HM Customs, Mr Hammond also visited the
Gibraltar Stronger In office in Main
Street and held a press conference
with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo
at No. 6 Convent Place, the Gibraltar equivalent of 10 Downing Street.
With regard to the EU referendum, in which the people of Gibraltar have a vote, both men
stressed the importance of the EU
for the Gibraltarian economy,
which they say is inextricably

Philip Hammond and Gibraltars Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, in Main Street on Wednesday. :: SUR
linked to the single market.
When it came to other consequences of a vote to leave, the Foreign Secretary didnt mince his
words. He said that Britains commitment to Gibraltar is absolute
and unshakeable and will endure
whatever the result of the EU referendum but, with the best will
in the world, Britain would not be
able to solve all the challenges that
Gibraltar could face if the UK voted

to leave the EU on 23 June.

I genuinely believe that the
threat of leaving the European Union is as big a threat to Gibraltars future security and Gibraltars future
sovereignty as the more traditional
threats that we routinely talk about,
he warned.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo
agreed with his comments, and
pointed out that Spain has already
indicated that it would immediately

place the sovereignty issue on the

table if the UK voted to leave the EU.
The UK and Gibraltar governments
insist that they would never enter
into arrangements under which the
people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state
against their freely and democratically expressed wishes, nor would
they enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.