Britain dismisses as 'eccentric' Gibraltar's plans for a referendum

The British Government dismissed Gibraltar's plans to organise a referendum on the colony's future, saying it would have no effect on an eventual agreement with Spain. The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said the proposed referendum was "a rather eccentric, rather expensive idea to tell us what we knew already".

An earlier Foreign Office statement rejected the plan for a referendum, accusing the Gibraltar authorities of preparing a vote to "short-circuit democracy and short-change the people of Gibraltar". It defended "dialogue" with Spain as the only way to secure a better future for Gibraltar and claimed the only purpose of the vote was to "reject the government's policy without any thought, discussion or time for proper debate".

The chief minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana, had used a television broadcast on Thursday evening to announce a referendum on the principle of "shared sovereignty" to be held as soon as was practically possible, probably in late October. Mr Caruana was speaking in response to Mr Straw's statement to the Commons on 12 July, in which he said Britain and Spain had agreed in principle to share sovereignty over Gibraltar.

But the timing also appeared to have been dictated by reports of British concessions to Spain over the status of the Gibraltar military base and speculation Britain would not hold a referendum on any agreement with Spain for several years.

Gibraltar adamantly opposes any concession on sovereignty, insisting it should have a veto over any change in its status as a British colony. The British Government's position is that Gibraltar's consent will be needed before any settlement comes into effect but the principles of a settlement, once agreed with Spain, will remain on the statute book of the two countries.

In unilaterally announcing a referendum that could pre-empt a British-Spanish agreement, Mr Caruana was appealing directly to the court of international opinion and, in effect, challenging the British government to override opinion in Gibraltar. He was rewarded by immediate expressions of support not just from the Tories but from British trade unionists and Labour backbench MPs, all questioning the Government's determination to reach a deal, particularly as it emerged this week that Britain had shown additional flexibility and an agreement between Britain and Spain could be finalised in the autumn.