UK-EU Deal over Gibraltar border: Victory or defeat for Starmer?

By

Billy Merrin, Editor-in-Chief

This week, the UK and the EU finally completed their talks over the issue of the Gibraltan border. The deal has been described as allowing 'fluid' checks for people crossing the border. Spanish and Gibraltan officials will carry out joint checks at airports, but goods will be able to move freely across the land border. 

So what are the positives and negatives of this deal for Starmer? Well, half of the Gibraltan population crosses the border daily to Spain (who are in the EU) for work. This means that it is easier for those people to commute to work. However, this free-land border may scare some Gibraltans, who have voted overwhelmingly to stay as a British overseas territory that this deal could be the first step to Gibraltar's unification with Spain. 

On the wider scale, Starmer and the Labour government can claim that they have settled Gibraltan status since leaving the EU where the Conservatives failed. However, as per the previous point, with Labour's position on other overseas territories like the Chagos Islands and his willingness to surrender the islands regardless of the residents' wishes, this would understandably make Gibraltarans nervous that a similar thing could happen to them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why ‘Natural Disaster’ Is a Political Term

By
Image
Nicole Chunye, Political Columnist Hurricane Melissa, a devastating storm, recently swept over Jamaica, destroying farms,  investments, and many people’s lives. According to the British Red Cross and AP News, the  storm’s ferocity was among the worst the island has ever faced. It tore through  communities with catastrophic winds and relentless rain, leaving many homes destroyed  and thousands of citizens displaced. While many describe it as a ‘natural disaster,’ experts at World Weather Attribution say  climate change driven by humans intensified its impact. The words we use matter because  calling events like this ‘natural’ risks overshadowing our role in creating and preventing  future catastrophes. This hurricane crashed into Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm, bringing with it  sustained winds of around 185 mph and torrential rainfall that battered the island for hours  (World Weather Attribution, 2025). The hurricane’s slow movement ...
Read more

The Rise Of The Populist Right Isn’t Just About Culture - It’s the Economy, Too

By
Image
Charlie Temple, Political Commentator Culture wars make a lot of noise, but nothing is louder than the silence left by economic decline.  Many question the common pattern emerging amongst the Western world - the rise of the  populist right: the AfD in Germany, Trump in America, Le Pen in France, the list goes on. The  most widely accepted explanation for this phenomenon rests on accusations of inherent bigotry  and xenophobia within our societies; however, this is a superficial answer, one that is too  simplistic and binary. To truly understand the rise of the populist right, we must look beyond  identity politics and examine the economic determinants that have created fertile ground for their  rhetoric to resonate with the masses. The populist right isn’t winning because of their divisive  views on identity, but because they are tapping into a deeper frustration, one that has accumulated over  years of economic stagnation and decline. While ...
Read more

Media Literacy in the Age of Misinformation - How the Online Safety Act Falls Short

By
Image
Charlie Temple, Political Commentator   Hana Syed, Political Editor Misinformation spreads six times faster than the truth online, reaching millions over modern  media channels before credible sources have the chance to catch up. False news stories are  also 70% more likely to be retweeted, according to MIT, demonstrating both the lack of  detection and shareability of disinformation online. This combination poses a real threat to  our political system. Whilst the Online Safety Act has dominated headlines over the last week  in a legislative effort to protect users online, the policy is futile without parallel investment in  media literacy. In an age of digital echo chambers and algorithmic amplification, online users  must be equipped to detect false news and analyse the credibility of sources – skills that  cannot be legislated into existence. Equal provisions in media literacy are essential for  creating a safe and more trustwort...
Read more