John Culatto
CHIEF Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo said he would support getting an MP for the Rock in the House of Commons as long as it keeps its full autonomy.
Picardo told a European Scrutiny Committee recently he would give ‘a big yes’ to official representation at the UK Parliament along with other British Overseas Territories.
“We have British citizens who are not represented in the British Parliament and this has to be addressed in some way,” the Chief Minister said.
He also wants to see the UK change the Gibraltar Constitution after talks on the EU treaty end to reflect that outcome.
The one and a half hour grilling by the House of Commons committee centred very much on the impact of EU treaty talks.
But in response to the question of how Gibraltar could be represented in the future when it is out of the EU, the Chief Minister said some things need to change.
“We were represented with the rest of the British people who were within the European continent in the European Parliament,” he said.
“We are now not represented in the British Parliament in London, but of course there are other issues that arise as a result.”
This could be part of the possible changes made to Gibraltar’s 2006 Constitution which he had earlier in the year discussed with visiting UK MPs.
But he said that as Gibraltar’s ‘small administration’ does not have ‘the bandwidth’ to deal with constitutional talks until ‘once we’ve got a different relationship with the EU’.
The Rock’s charismatic leader said he had signed a petition to give Gibraltar an MP but that ‘there were issues’ that needed to be tackled.
“You get a big yes from me if you can ringfence the Gibraltar Constitution and all the issues that arise there,” he said.
“That is easy to say but very complex to actually do.”
Finally, UK MPs asked Picardo if he would like to be the Gibraltar MP once he is no longer Chief Minister.
But he replied that after his time in government ‘politics and me will no longer be bedfellows’, only to add seconds later with a chuckle, ‘we’ll see – that’s how it feels today’.
READ MORE:
- There could be a referendum if EU treaty talks ‘relate to sovereignty’, Gibraltar leader says
- UK officials meet with Gibraltar’s top ministers to discuss updating the constitution
- Gibraltar gets its own coat of arms at Speaker’s House in London as it attends meetings with British territories
