UK Prime Minister Theresa May did not raise the issue of Gibraltar’s sovereignty during her meeting with the king of Spain despite the two countries not seeing “eye to eye” on the issue, Downing Street said on Thursday. A Number 10 spokeswoman said the Gibraltar “didn’t come up” and insisted Spain is “well aware” of Britain’s position that the Rock’s future is not up for discussion.
The comment about Gibraltar made by the King of Spain in his address in Westminster Hall places the focus on bilateral dialogue between London and Madrid as the way forward to address Spain's differences with the UK over the Decolonization of Gibraltar.
A flag of Gibraltar (and Falkland Islands) was on display outside the Houses of Parliament as King Felipe of Spain arrived in London for his state visit. The red-and-white banner, bearing a red castle and golden key, was placed at the centre of a row of flags of the British overseas territories and dependencies in Parliament Square.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday formally welcomed the King of Spain to the UK with a military spectacle full of pomp and pageantry. Britain’s head of state and Philip warmly shook hands with King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, at Horse Guards Parade, Henry VIII’s former jousting yard.
Theresa May is to miss her regular weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, in order to welcome the King and Queen of Spain to London, Downing Street has announced.
Spanish Banco Popular has been rescued from the brink of collapse by larger rival Santander for one Euro. Buying Banco Popular will cost Santander 7bn euros, around 2bn euros more than analysts had expected. Banco Popular was described by the European Central Bank as failing or likely to fail due to its dwindling cash reserves.The bank has struggled after billions in property investments turned sour.
Gibraltar could be Spanish “within four years”, Spain’s former foreign minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, said on Wednesday insisting that “the Hong Kongisation” of the Rock was possible in that timescale.
The European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur should intensify talks to reach a trade agreement this year, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Tuesday, urging haste after 18 years of negotiations.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy arrived in Brazil on Sunday on an official two-day visit during which he will meet with President Michel Temer and follow a markedly economic agenda, including Mercosur and current ongoing talks with the EU in Brussels. The second leg of the trip will take Rajoy to Uruguay.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis called on Tuesday for calm in the row over Gibraltar’s inclusion in the EU guidelines, adding that he was surprised by the reactions in Britain. He was speaking amid a media frenzy after the EU said in its guidelines that Spain must agree before any future trade deal between the UK and the EU can be extended to Gibraltar.