Gibraltar

Lord Rogan Excerpts

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rogan (UUP)]

My Lords, I declare my interest, as listed in the register. I have been privileged to visit Gibraltar on many occasions as a member of the all-party group. I pay tribute to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and his colleagues in His Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar for their hard work over many years in reaching this agreement, which has the support of all four parties involved in the negotiations.

Can the Minister confirm that Gibraltar will retain full control over its own border checks, and that the agreement will not place any additional barriers in the way of UK passport holders wishing to visit our deeply cherished friends on the Rock?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I will start by echoing the noble Lord’s comments about Fabian Picardo. He has worked tirelessly on this and is satisfied with the outcome we have reached.

Gibraltar will have its own checks that it will undertake. There will also be Schengen checks that, as I say, are similar to those at St Pancras, but, unless an alert is triggered on the Schengen Information System, there should be no issues. If an alert is triggered, a person would have the opportunity to take legal advice and make a decision about their onward travel. That is an agreement that Gibraltar is happy with; it is a good compromise and something that will serve the people of Gibraltar well.