Gibraltar has responded with fury after the King of Spain failed to acknowledge the territory’s right to determine its own future in an address to Parliament.

The monarch said he wanted a “dialogue” between Madrid and London on the status of The Rock in a snub to Gibraltar’s own democratically elected Government.

The omission prompted Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, to warn that the issue of sovereignty is “not up for discussion or negotiation” as he accused the King of “seeking to ignore” the wishes of the people who live on The Rock.

Tory MPs reacted angrily to the King’s address saying that the future of the territory is “none of his business”. However, they did not carry out a threat to walk out as he was speaking.