Within this morning’s Financial Times Chief Minister Fabian Picardo’s letter was published.

The letter read, ‘Sir,

Your otherwise excellent editorial for Tuesday 5th February on Argentina and the Falkland Islands is wrong only in one material respect. Successive British Foreign Secretaries have insisted that they will not engage bilaterally with Spain on Gibraltar issues, referring their counterparts to the Trilateral Process for Dialogue in which the UK, Spain and Gibraltar have agreed to discuss all matters of mutual interest except sovereignty.

The UK, Gibraltar and the PSOE in Spain have repeatedly stated strong commitment to the continuation of that forum for dialogue despite the ruling PP's "Timmerman-like" insistence that Gibraltar be excluded from such talks. In addition, the UK has long agreed that it will not engage in talks about Gibraltar's sovereignty with Spain unless the people of Gibraltar wish such talks to be commenced. Rightly, the UK is therefore clearly on record setting out that it is not going to engage bilaterally with Spain on the future of our homeland.

Yours sincerely
Hon Fabian Picardo MP

Chief Minister Gibraltar’