British tourists could be turned away from Gibraltar by EU guards under new post-Brexit treaty

Britons could be turned away from Gibraltar under a new post-Brexit treaty with the EU, Lord Cameron admitted to MPs on Monday.

The Foreign Secretary said under the terms of a deal currently being negotiated between the UK and EU, officials from the EU’s border agency Frontex would be stationed at the airport, instead of the Spanish border.

The talks are aimed at removing identity checks on people crossing the border between Gibraltar and Spain.

But Lord Cameron admitted this could mean that Britons arriving at Gibraltar airport are effectively treated as if they are entering the EU.

The arrangement would maintain the Schengen freedom of movement principle on the European mainland and thus allow anyone in Gibraltar to travel to the rest of Europe unhindered.

All Schengen border checks would take place on British soil – with the possibility Britons are denied entry to Gibraltar as a result. 

Lord Cameron admitted this could mean that Britons arriving at Gibraltar airport are effectively treated as if they are entering the EU

New rules for arrivals from non-member countries being introduced by the EU across the bloc in October mean Britons returning to Gibraltar or travelling there for work could be forced to undergo further biometric checks, supplying fingerprints and a photograph.

They could also be blocked on visa grounds if they have already spent more than 90 out of the past 180 days in the EU – the limit at which a visa is required to remain in the EU. 

Responding to MPs’ concerns, Lord Cameron said admitted there would be two sets of checks on Britons arriving in Gibraltar, which could lead to them being denied entry, even if Gibraltarian officials had waved them through.

He said: ‘In future, there would be two sets of checks – one by Gibraltar, one by Schengen – and if there was a Schengen alert that could be the circumstance.’

He continued: ‘We don’t want to see anything that diminishes in any way UK sovereignty over Gibraltar. There are some very clear lines we cannot cross.’

He also asserted that EU officials would have no control over the airport under the plans.

In a letter to Foreign Office minister David Rutley, committee chairman Sir Bill Cash previously wrote: ‘If agreed as you outlined to us, allowing current Schengen checks to be administered by [EU] Frontex border guards at the airport would erode UK sovereignty to the point of meaninglessness.

‘From your evidence, we suspect that the UK Government is prepared to concede an arrangement that will leave Gibraltar’s frontier British in all but name.

‘The practical implications of this are seismic. You were unable to reassure us that UK nationals and Gibraltarians, wishing only to enter Gibraltar, would not have to undergo Schengen checks.’