John Culatto
A RIGHT wing coalition government that includes Vox could cause difficulties on the border with Spain, former Chief Minister Sir Joe Bossano has warned.
The Minister of Economic Development’s warning comes as the rising political force proclaimed the closure if it got elected into government in the April 28 national elections.
This would be a disaster for the Gibraltar economy that relies on thousands of workers from Spain to cross the frontier every day.
“If there is a right wing majority government they would not care about the 15,000 people who would lose their jobs here,” Bossano, who was knighted last year, told the Olive Press.
“The PP has proven that before and I think there will be an advance of the right wing, because they have taken advantage of the disenchantment there is.”
Vox’s aggressive stance on Gibraltar would turn the clock back 50 years to 1969 when General Franco ordered a border closure.
The party, led by former military officer, Santiago Abascal, has consistently been critical of what it sees as Britain’s ‘colonisation’ of the Rock.
“While we recover Gibraltar we will make them pay taxes or go live with the monkeys”
Santiago Abascal
“We are fed up with the pirates who harass our fishermen and use our compatriots as hostages,” Abascal said about those ruling Gibraltar.
“While we recover Gibraltar we will make them pay taxes or go live with the monkeys,” said the controversial leader during his election campaigning.
Vox had previously helped unfurl a huge Spanish flag on the Rock, before gaining their first 12 regional seats in neighbouring Andalucia last December.
In a wide-ranging interview, Bossano also warned that Spain, like all EU member states, could still veto legislation on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
This is despite the Government stopping Spain from having a Clause 24-style veto that would allow the Rock to remain in a Brexit transition stage.
“We do not know what that future relationship will be, and even if we want to be in that future relationship at all,” Bossano said.
“But what we do know is that the veto is when Spain believes it can corner us.”
