“That’s all perfectly reasonable” – Twistednuke’s response to Spanish proposals revealed by Gibraltarian government

The joint press release by the Gibraltarian, Scottish, and Northern Irish governments details the discussions held between the Brexit Secretary and Spanish Foreign Minister.



The Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo has been fierce in his criticism of the government’s Gibraltar policy.

[M: This was provided to the Guardian by the quad as an official part of the ongoing Gibraltar event, and was not leaked.]



The government of Gibraltar, along with the Scottish government and Northern Irish executive have issued a joint press release detailing what is alleged to be the complete conversation between the Secretary of State for European Relations and International Trade Twistednuke and Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain Josep Borrell regarding the controversial agreement signed between the British and Spanish governments regarding Gibraltar.



The release stated that “HM Government of Gibraltar has obtained what the Spanish Government claims to be the entire minutes of the meeting between Mr Nuke and Mr Borrell when the agreement on Gibraltar was reached.” It is accompanied by a short transcript which included the Spanish proposal and a short reply by the Rt. Hon. Twistednuke: “that’s all perfectly reasonable”.



The document put forward by the Spanish Foreign Minister contained the proposals eventually included in the official agreement, most notably that “we will offer all Gibraltarian-born individuals the right to Spanish citizenship to ensure reciptocracy. This is similar to people born in Northern Ireland being entitled to citizenship of the Irish Republic, so I see no reason why this could not happen here.” This is a proposal which has been rubbished by Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, who stated in his earlier open letter, which in part led to the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, “Furthermore, this agreement is dual-sovereignty by the back door, make no mistake about it. Spain awarding everyone born Gibraltarian, citizenship is a claim to our territory, overnight every resident of Gibraltar becomes a subject of the King of Spain. This is something that back in 2002, 98.5% of my fellow Gibraltarians joined all three of our main political parties in rejecting absolute.”



In the document, Mr Picardo is sharp in his criticism of the Brexit Secretary’s stance in the negotiations, stating “This flippant and startlingly hasty admission to de facto joint sovereignty confirms my worst fears that the UK government regards our sovereignty as expendable in the Brexit process and recognises Spanish irredentism. We are proud Britons and do not wish to leave our family of nations but public opinion may quickly shift if the UK Government does not act at once.”



He was also supported by the First Ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland, Weebru_m and comped respectively. The former stated that “I’m quite frankly at a loss for words at the complete incompetence of the Secretary of State. The lack of communication between the Gibraltar executive and the UK Government is abismall, and the utter disregard for the people of Gibraltar, Mr Picardo and the UK Parliament is very worrying.” He went on to state that “after a meeting between myself, Mr Picardo and /u/Comped, it has become extremely worrying that the UK Government is setting a precedence of ignoring the regions of the United Kingdom and pursuing its own agenda, with no dialogue. I urge the UK Government to make the correct and proper changes to its Brexit policy and confer with the devolved governments more frequently.“



The Northern Irish First Minister was equally scathing, criticising “the lack of consultation between the Government of the United Kingdom and the Northern Ireland Executive over Brexit, particularly when the EU says Northern Ireland is their top focus” as “nothing short of astonishing.” He further argued that “The Governments of Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, and Scotland, are all in agreement – the devolved regions must have input in Brexit. If we are kept out of the highest level of decision making , then the UK Government can only ever get a deal that does not represent what our communities need. We have asked for a place at the table and have been ignored, and we will stand for it no more.”



The now former Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister CDocwra told the Guardian briefly that “I concur thoroughly with all 3 gentlemen,” exposing the deep rift that has developed tonight between him and his former colleagues, particularly his former Deputy Leader of the Classical Liberals. The Chancellor, Wagbo, told our reporter that “Whilst we understand that this recent release of minutes is not encouraging news, the government is still investigating how the issues in communication between the UK, Spain, and Gibraltar have occurred. We will provide a clear update & action in the near future.” The Guardian has approached the embattled Brexit Secretary for comment, but he is yet to provide one. If this changes then an update will be provided.



The release of the joint statement sparked a bitter war of words on twitter between the Scottish First Minister Mr M, and the Leader of the Classical Liberal delegation to the Scottish Parliament, and former Scotland Secretary, Duncs11. Mr 11, a former Prime Minister, offered a sharp rebuke stating “once again the discredited Scottish Government are sticking their nose into reserved matters, in this case Brexit. Instead of answering our questions or writing legislation to improve your lives, they are overstepping their responsibilities. The Classical Liberals are getting on with the day job. The Scottish Government are failing you!”



The First Minister retorted that “Yet again @President of Cumbria trying to silence the voice of the people of Scotland. Your government has ignored the devolved governments during the entire Brexit process, and now look where it has got you. A resignation from the Foreign Sec and a soon to be booted out Brexit Sec, shambles.” Mr Docwra offered public support for his position, making clear that “for the record I have taken immense umbrage with the Scottish Government and the First Minister but I concur with him on the issue of the day. Still doesn’t know how to put forward a budget for the life of him though.”



The Guardian will continue to provide updates on this breaking story as it develops.

