France, on the other hand, took the opposite stance in the post-war world, and now has five overseas territories as part of the very body of France. Each are designated as a region of the country and have their own elected representation in the Assemblée Nationale.

In the European Parliament debate, Ukip leader Paul Nuttall will not only reiterate our party’s position that Gibraltar become an integral part of the United Kingdom; he will go further.

He will advocate that what is now needed is a referendum to be held in Gibraltar to ask the citizens on the Rock whether they want to become part of our country, with their own MP and devolved powers as we have in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland – but in their case to include taxation as well.

If the people of Gibraltar were to accept this offer, which I now believe they would, they would no longer be a pawn in the EU’s negotiations and Mr Tusk would have to scrap Clause 22 of his document.

With this, one of the major obstacles to a sensible conversation between the European Union and the United Kingdom will have been removed.