YP Letters: Gibraltar will be left adrift without co-operation

Gibraltar is at the centre of a diplomatic and trade row over Brexit.

IS Britain now between the Rock and a hard place (Chris Moncrieff, The Yorkshire Post, April 4)?

The British Brexit from the EU has now opened the problem of Gibraltar and its refusal to negotiate with Spain.

Without the co-operation of Spain, Gibraltar would face an isolated existence with serious consequences for its commercial future. For many years, Gibraltar has wanted to have its cake and eat it by being a mini-Britain on the edge of Spain. However this option is now untenable as it will now have to share a hard customs border with Spain.

If it wants to become completely independent from Spain, it could remove all its land contact with Spain and become a completely independent state supported by Britain and could attract business by becoming an offshore haven. However living on the Rock with access restricted to air and sea may not be attractive to all its residents, and this could see the population decline over time.

Reliving the past history of Gibraltar and its importance to Britain will not solve the problems they now face. There is another small island in the Mediterranean which was also a key ally to Britain during the war. This was Malta, which is now an integral part of the EU.