John Culatto
VINCE Cable has warned that Brexit will ‘really hurt’ Gibraltar.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats made the warning during a visit to the frontier.
During the whistle-stop visit, he insisted the UK’s departure from the EU was ‘not a good option’ for the Rock.
“It’s very clear that Brexit is not a good option for Gibraltar,” Cable, 76, told the Olive Press.
“The overwhelming majority of people here voted against it.
“They’re more British than the British and more European than the Europeans. They want to keep those two identities and that is absolutely right.
“Brexit will potentially cause serious disruption.”
He continued: “The Spanish have played games with Gibraltar in the past and it was the intercession of the European Union that brought them back into line.
“Now if we walk away without a deal – which is what Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson among others are arguing for they’re totally vulnerable.”
He believes that the UK needs to stay in the European Union to ‘fight these damaging pressures’.
The leader believes the process of Brexit is not going well even though there is currently ‘an anti-Brexit majority in the House of Commons’.
He believes optimistically, however, that the decision could still be reversed.
“Brexit is going badly,” he continued. “The only way to resolve it is to go back to the people with the option to remain.
“We now have a good prospect of remaining in the EU which is what people in Gibraltar want.”
He also insisted he had no regrets about the coalition that brought the Tories and David Cameron to power in 2011.
“It was the right thing to do in the circumstances,” said Cable. “We had a very good coalition government that provided strong and stable government.
“Nowadays, Britain is sadly a very divided country and we need to get past Brexit to get back to the things that really matter.”
Meanwhile MEP hopeful Rachel Johnson met Fabian Picardo yesterday in a bid to reverse Brexit as her brother Boris Johnson seeks to become UK Prime Minister.
On a visit to the Rock, the Change UK MEP candidate for South West England and Gibraltar, said that to ‘revoke Brexit is a very good idea’.
“I want Gibraltar to have the same ease as it had before,” the journalist insisted.
“I hope Spain is generous and not punitive with Gibraltar as negotiations continue.”
It comes as her brother, former Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson threw his hat into the ring to replace Theresa May as UK Prime Minister.
“Of course I’m going to go for it,” leading Brexiteer Johnson said when asked if he wanted the top job.
The former London mayor is favourite to succeed May with 39% of the Tory grassroots supporting him, according to YouGov.
His closest rival, fellow Leave campaigner, Dominic Raab has just 13%, while other cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Andrea Leadsom, Matt Hancock and Rory Stewart are all on single figures.
