Spain has reached an agreement with the UK to keep Gibraltar’s border open following the end of the Brexit transition period tonight.
Gibraltar’s status was not covered in the trade agreement reached by Boris Johnson on Christmas Eve, prompting concerns about what would happen when the transition period ends at 11pm.
However Spain’s foreign minister said Gibraltar, whose sovereignty is disputed by Spain and Britain, will remain subject to the rule of the free-travel Schengen area.
Arancha Gonzalez Laya announced that the “agreement in principle” means people in Gibraltar “can breathe a sigh of relief”.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “Today, working side by side with the chief minister of Gibraltar, and following intensive discussions with the Spanish government, we reached agreement on a political framework to form the basis of a separate treaty between the UK and the EU regarding Gibraltar.
“We will now send this to the European Commission, in order to initiate negotiations on the formal treaty.
“In the meantime, all sides are committed to mitigating the effects of the end of the transition period on Gibraltar, and in particular ensure border fluidity, which is clearly in the best interests of the people living on both sides.
“We remain steadfast in our support for Gibraltar and its sovereignty.”
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04:47 PM
So what’s all the fuss about?
Brussels Correspondent, James Crisp, has been following the Brexit journey for years.
He gives his take below:
AT the stroke of 11pm the UK will leave the EU single market and customs union. It will be the final step in a process lasting about four years, that began with a referendum in 2016.
It will mean that trade between the UK and the EU is more difficult – the new trade deal agreement, which was signed on Christmas Eve, not withstanding.
But that friction is the price paid to win back UK sovereignty when it comes to setting rules and regulations.
The challenge for this and future governments is to prove that that economic price is worth paying and that the advantages of being more nimble and free of Brussels’ regulatory orbit is worth it in the end.
04:29 PM
Migrants make 5am New Year’s Eve dash
This morning, under the cover of darkness, 33 migrants on four boats crossed the Channel in a desperate attempt to reach the UK before Brexit.
My colleague, Jamie Johnson, who has reported extensively on the migrant crisis, writes that in 2020, some 8,400 people arrived on British shores having left northern France – four times as many as in 2019.
On New Year’s Eve, men were photographed in shorts and flip flops on the dockside in Dover, having been taken ashore by Border Force officials after crossing at 5am.
As Britain leaves the EU, Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to fix the “fundamentally broken” asylum system in the UK to make it “firm and fair”, promising to introduce new legislation in 2021 for the “biggest overhaul” of the system in “decades”.
Read more of the story here.
04:17 PM
New Year’s Eve
Welcome all.
It may be New Year’s Eve but with no parties to go to and no social mixing allowed, The Telegraph is bringing you a live Brexit Blog to mark the end of the transition period.
From 11pm tonight Britain will have officially left the European Union.
Until then we will bring you all the latest news.
So grab some bubbly, take a seat and see in the New Year with us.