Political instability in the UK has left the daily lives of tens of thousands of people on both sides of the fence separating Spain and Gibraltar up in the air. Two years after the completion of Brexit and ten months of negotiations to establish the future relationship with La Roca, the special agreement for the British colony still not resolved Waiting for the European Union and the United Kingdom to approach a definitive solution Protocol from Northern Ireland.
At the door of the new prime minister election, new tenant Downing Street Whether it’s former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak or Foreign Minister Liz Truss, she will have to show she can handle the worst. inflation with the increase in the last 40 years energy pricebut it could also save dialogue with Brussels to remove obstacles to both agreements.
Technical meetings determining the future relationship of Gibraltar’s “common welfare zone” with the EU have been held since October 2021. without seeing a specific date to close a contract. The United Kingdom, the European Union and Spain, whose role is recognized in the negotiations, insist that everything goes well good waybut it is a message that has been repeated for months without crystallization, and practically nothing has emerged about the possible agreement.
Liz Truss, candidate for leadership Tories but also last year’s British Foreign Secretary assured El País in a December 2021 interview that the point was to hope to reach an agreement on Gibraltar. at the end of March. In Spain, Foreign Affairs sources recently reassured this newspaper that “everything is going well”, but no resolution is expected at this time. So what is preventing the situation in Gibraltar from being resolved?
According to David Phinnemore, Professor of European Politics at Queen’s University Belfast, the problem right now is that the relationship between the European Union and the UK is not good. “They do not trust each other and will not make progress in any other area until they reach an understanding of the Northern Ireland Protocol.”explains Spain Newspaper, Newspaper and this media belonging to the Prensa Ibérica group.
The expert said that last June, Boris Johnson announced that the protocol agreed with the EU was broken unilaterally, and that “there is little information about Gibraltar,” very quietIt is very difficult to know what is going on so that the situation does not progress”.
Meanwhile, residents on both sides of the Gate keep a close eye on what’s going on in Westminster. Resolution of the agreement to regulate traffic in an area where more than one person passes 15,000 cross-border workers.
“The European Union doesn’t want to talk about anything until it sees that the obligations committed in the exit agreement have been fulfilled in good faith, and we are not on that yet.. Of course, we’ll have to see what happens with the change of government in the UK and whether it manages to unblock the situation, but the truth is that in this internal election we’ll have to see what happens. priorities are not protocol, inflation and energy price”, says Phinnemore, an expert on Brexit negotiations.
Instability on Downing Street
The outcome of the duel between Secretary of State Liz Truss and former Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak will be decided. next September 5, and although the campaign is marked by economic and energy issues, the election of this or that candidate could definitively mark Gibraltars’ nearest future.
This is indicated, for example, by the fact that: Boris Johnson to resort to violations of Northern Ireland protocol when seen angular within his own party just before he was forced to resign. Brexit is no longer the main issue within the Conservative Party, but it still carries a lot of support.
Therefore, the winner’s profile can determine the speed with which open fronts in Gibraltar are dissolved, as consolidation of Northern Ireland protocol would also subordinately impede the deal on the Rock.
As for the two candidates, Sunak, who has declared himself a staunch supporter of Brexit, seems most likely to confront the EU if necessary. Although his resignation was one of the defining events for Johnson’s departure, his figure is most visible. continuityist Taking a tough stance against Brussels. For his part, Truss, who had been submerged for months, diplomatic work It may be more open to starting negotiations with its European counterparts, but nothing is certain.
“We are currently in a campaign, and we are also in an internal campaign within the party. The two candidates say they are committed to a protocol law that would legitimize the British government internally. act unilaterally For that matter, however, both assure that they want to come to a conclusion. negotiated solution with the European Union. “We’ll have to wait until September 5th,” says the professor at the Northern Ireland university.
The latest survey published by Weather forecast It marks a major victory for Liz Truss, who is 66% of the votes He would become the new leader of the British Conservative Party and Prime Minister.
But these data show a good part of the instability plaguing the governing party, with 46% of voters if Johnson gets to vote. Tories They would give him their 47% boost, which would potentially reach a sum between Truss and Altar. And 55 percent think that it is wrong for their own party to force them to resign.