Gibraltar Spat Shows How Bumpy the Road to Brexit Will Likely Be
- Negotiations will bring more fights on national issues
- May needs to prepare U.K. for idea of making concessions
Gibraltar Dispute Flares Up in Brexit Debate
Theresa May laughed off the idea that Britain might go to war with Spain over Gibraltar. But even its suggestion revealed something about the bumps in the road that the prime minister will hit as she tries to negotiate a Brexit deal.
That both countries are European Union members hasn’t stopped Spain from continuing to lay claim to Gibraltar, which lies on its southern tip. Yet there has been little sign in the Spanish press of a swelling desire to use Brexit to pursue the old argument with more aggression. Instead, the mention of the territory in EU negotiating guidelines is more likely to have reflected a desire in Madrid to ensure that Britain’s departure from the bloc doesn’t hurt Spaniards who work on the rock.