Diplomatic Relations (Spain) Debate
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Lord Dodds of Duncairn
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Diplomatic Relations (Spain)
Lord Dodds of Duncairn Excerpts(11 years ago)
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Mr Lidington
No one in this Government has ever decried the importance of the Royal Navy. I am sure that my hon. Friend would not expect me to comment on ship deployments.
Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North) (DUP)
Spain is a fellow member of the European Union and a NATO ally. What are the Government doing with the member states of both those bodies to bring pressure to bear on the Spanish Government? Surely that is an important aspect.
Mr Lidington
The most important thing that we can do with fellow members of the European Union and other allied countries—indeed, this is what we have been seeking to do—is draw their attention to the fact that Gibraltar is not some exploited colony; it is a self-governing territory whose people have time and again freely expressed their wish to remain under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.