British family survives test of resolve

A deal that nobody, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, really wants.

The risk of economic meltdown should Britain unceremoniously crash out instead.

And now a crisis of questionable significance over which TV channel should host a Brexit debate.

It’s depressing fare.

A small cup of cheer over Gibraltar should not therefore be ignored.

At a time of enormous political tension, Spain attempted to throw a spanner into the works of the Withdrawal Agreement with a last-minute demand to have more of a say over Gibraltar.

When they threatened not to sign the deal it was a genuine challenge to the Prime Minister’s resolve.

Would she stand up for the tiny British Overseas Territory or cast it aside for political expediency? Would the greater good of the UK overwhelm concern for one small part of its former empire?

It was a test that would either offer hope or horror for the nation’s enclaves and outposts, including the Crown Dependencies.

The answer, thankfully, was a forceful defence of the Rock.

Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo was delighted by the ‘real, unbending steel’ shown in support of his territory.

‘Let’s not allow any electoral hyperbole in Spain persuade anyone that Gibraltar has in any way been let down by the Prime Minister,’ he said.

Instead of damaging relations with the UK, Spain had succeeded only in securing the place of Gibraltar [and, by extension, other territories] in the Withdrawal Agreement.

The treaty text remained unchanged and only political declarations with no legal validity remained, he said.

Of course, all of which may be moot if, as expected, Theresa May’s deal is heavily defeated by MPs on 11 December.

But as the storms of that momentous decision sweep over the UK, Gibraltar and its fellow outliers can at least lean on the principles established by the Spanish intervention.

When sorely tested, the UK stood firm in its commitment to its British family.

That should bring some comfort.