MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gibraltar receives full support from Boris Johnson on its National Day

PM Johnson: UK will stand fully behind Gibraltar, its people and its economy in any scenario.

September 10 is Gibraltar National Day and Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an open letter addressed to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo QC MP sent a message of support to the people of the Rock confirming that there will be no sovereignty process against their freely and democratically expressed wishes:

Dear Fabian

I would like to wish you and all the people of Gibraltar a very happy National Day.
I am sorry I cannot be there in person, but I send my warmest wishes on this special
occasion.
It has been an extraordinary twelve months. The people of Gibraltar, like those all over the world, have endured a time of challenge and uncertainty in light of COVID- 19. Anyone who knows Gibraltar's history will have been unsurprised by the way Gibraltarians have risen to these challenges. I have also been heartened by the way we have worked together. I am proud that the British Government supplied Gibraltar with over 70,000 vaccines and the Gibraltar Health Authority administered these with such speed and efficiency to get 95 per cent of the population fully vaccinated and Gibraltar opened up once again.
We will continue to stand together. As we, the UK and Gibraltar, seek constructive
negotiations with the EU, I am confident we can reach an agreement that will promote
security and prosperity for everyone in the region. The careful balance set out in the
31 December 2020 Framework must be preserved. And let me reassure you, we will not agree to anything that compromises UK sovereignty. The British Government will
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. And we will never enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.
The UK will stand fully behind Gibraltar, its people and its economy in any scenario.
I am delighted that the Minister for the European Neighborhood and the Americas,
Wendy Morton MP can join you on the Rock to celebrate National Day. The UK and
Gibraltar have a long history and an unbreakable bond, tried and tested through difficult times. Today we celebrate that, and we look forward to, together.
I wish you a happy and proud Gibraltar National Day.

All best wishes (handwritten)

Boris Johnson