Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart on Gibraltar.

The Foreign Secretary met his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, in London on 16 September. They covered the full spectrum of our bilateral relationship and looked ahead to a four-way ministerial meeting in Brussels on 19 September to discuss the UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar. I joined the Foreign Secretary at that meeting, with Foreign Minister Albares, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo. The talks were constructive and productive. Ministers reiterated their commitment to finalising a Treaty as soon as possible and agreed to remain in constant contact. I met my Spanish counterpart, State Secretary Fernando Sampedro, at that meeting, and again on 10 October. We continue to be in regular contact throughout the negotiations. The Government will only agree to terms that the Government of Gibraltar is content with, and that safeguard sovereignty and the autonomy of the UK military facilities.