Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether members of the Spanish Guardia Civil were present at the Queen's Birthday Parade in Gibraltar; whether those members wore their Spanish uniforms; and what assessment they have made of whether the Spanish Guardia Civil has facilitated incursions by Spanish vessels into the British waters at Gibraltar.

Representatives from local Spanish authorities, including the Guardia Civil, are invited to Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Parade every year. Two officers from the Guardia Civil attended this year’s Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Parade and Garden Party in ceremonial dress. The officers paid full respect to the Colours of Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.

Guardia Civil vessels have been involved in unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters around Gibraltar. Although unlawful incursions by Spanish state vessels are a violation of sovereignty, they have no legal impact. These incursions do not weaken or undermine the international legal basis for UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. We protest all unlawful incursions to the Spanish authorities.