Written evidence – Paul Cartwright (GLT0012)

As a British Gibraltarian national, I would like to inform all that:

a)    I was never eligible to vote for the Conservative's manifesto commitment to hold an In/Out Referendum, as Gibraltarians are not entitled to vote in UK General Elections

b)   Why must we accept Brexit if the Referendum was advisory only and many UK nationals did not have a clue of the advantages and benefits the EU rewards our nation with? Now many do.

c)    In 2013 the Spanish government harassed the tourists, Gibraltarians and the Spanish trans-frontier workers at the border with queues of up to 9hrs for pedestrians or vehicles alike, with constant incursions of Spanish navy and police entering British Gibraltar Territorial Waters as they pleased.  The British Government defended our nation by inviting the Spanish Ambassador to coffee after every complaint, is this what we shall be expecting from the UK government if Spanish hostilities triple after we exit the EU?

d) To add insult to injury, Schengen Controls will be tightened in March, together with the supposed Triggering of Article 50, will this not finally put the lid on our frontier with Spain? Who will be there to help us out? Definitely not the EU officials as they did help in 2013. Will we receive more protection from the MOD?

e)  10,000 Trans-frontier workers transit to Gibraltar every single day, plus thousands of tourists too, whilst Gibraltarian residents do likewise for shopping or leisure. Spain has, is and will continue to state that unless co-sovereignty is imposed on Gibraltarians, we will suffer the consequences for being a third nation on the other side of the EU. Is the UK going to accept that our 96% Remain nation is going to self-destruct because of Brexit?

Dear Lords, please think again before committing the world's greatest mistake a nation could ever make. I beg that a final Referendum on the final negotiations is put to all UK nationals and EU nationals in UK, to vote for the final say, in whether we accept the final deal or REMAIN as EU citizens forever.

Let's keep our United Kingdom United

2 February 2017