'Tell the Spanish ambassador to pack his sombrero and straw donkey and GO!': MP urges Hague to get tough in Gibraltar row



DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr calls on the government to threaten Spain

If 'hostility' continues, ambassador Trillo must leave London, he says

William Hague insists Britain will never negotiate Gibraltar sovereignty



Spain will suffer ‘reprisals’ if it continues to threaten the sovereignty of Gibraltar, William Hague warned yesterday.

The Foreign Secretary made no attempt to conceal his anger with Madrid as he updated MPs on a summer campaign of harassment by Spain against Gibraltar.

‘Gibraltar is British and wants to stay British and for us that is the end of the matter,’ he said.

‘We will never negotiate over sovereignty over the people of Gibraltar’s heads, as the last Labour government did.’

Go: DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr (left) called on the government to get tough with Spain's ambassador to the UK Federico Trillo, who has already been summoned to the Foreign Office over delays at the Gibraltar border



Queues: There have been long delays at the Spain-Gibraltar border this summer after Spain imposed draconian checks on traffic

Veteran Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman urged Mr Hague to make it clear to Spain that the harassment ‘will not be tolerated and that, if need be, there will be reprisals’.

Mr Hague replied: ‘I absolutely will.’



But DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr urged him to go further and order Federico Trillo to leave the capital if the ‘hostility’ towards Gibraltar is not halted.

Tensions over the Rock escalated this summer after Spain threatened to impose a £43 fee could be on anyone entering or leaving the British territory.

Madrid also imposed strict checks on traffic at the border with Gibraltar in protest at the creation of an artificial reef.

The Spanish say the 74 concrete blocks on the seabed disrupt an area used by its fishing boats, while the Gibraltarians say it was a necessary environmental measure.

In early August Mr Trillo was summoned to the Foreign Office for a dressing down over ‘disproportionate’ border checks.

But a month later there people trying to enter Gibraltar are still experiencing problems.

Stance: Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted that the government¿s ¿position on sovereignty is clear¿

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Paisley Jr urged Mr Hague to take a tough line with the Spanish ambassador.

He said: ‘In seven days time, the people of Gibraltar will celebrate their national day and I hope they will be able to celebrate it in a spirit of peace and stability.

‘Can I make it abundantly clear to the Spanish that if they continue their hostility to the people of Gibraltar, that you (Mr Hague) will tell the ambassador here in London to pack his sombrero, straw donkey and sangria and go?’

Mr Hague insisted that the government’s ‘position on sovereignty is clear’, adding: ‘There have been occasions in recent weeks when we have summoned the Spanish ambassador, but I think if you'll forgive me we will use slightly more diplomatic language than you are recommending.’

But he added that as Gibraltarians want to remain British that is the end of the matter, although the UK remains in favour of talks to settle the latest dispute with Spain.

During foreign office questions Mr Hague was challenged in the Commons by Conservative MP Jake Berry to affirm that he will ‘never give an inch’ on British sovereignty in Gibraltar.

Mr Hague replied: ‘We are in favour of talks with Spain. Gibraltar is British and wants to stay British and for us that is the end of the matter and we will never negotiate over sovereignty over the people of Gibraltar's heads as the last Labour government did.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg last night used a phone call with his Spanish counterpart to push for an end to the border checks.

He made clear to Soraya Saenz de Santamaria that the crisis could not continue and urged Madrid to take part in urgent talks.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has committed to sending a fact-finding mission to the Spain-Gibraltar border in the coming weeks.