Spanish town marches for Gibraltar border deal

Residents of Spain's La Lina de la Concepcion marched to the border with Gibraltar demanding action from authorities on the enclave's post-Brexit status.

La Lina de la Concepcion mayor Juan Franco Rodriguez said the Spanish town's economy could collapse if an agreement isn't reached.

At the head of the demonstration were Mr Franco and councilors from his La Linea 100x100 party, but also other political leaders from La Linea including Gemma Araujo, the city’s former socialist mayor, and Susana Gonzalez from the Partido Popular.

Also Spanish police briefly re-established border controls for Gibraltar causing long lines of rush hour workers on both sides of the border as the enclave also began asking to see passports in response.

Spain has urged Britain to close a deal on the post-Brexit status of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar by November 10, before new EU border controls kick in, likely creating a hard border in Gibraltar.

The status of Gibraltar, an enclave at the southern tip of Spain that has been under British rule since the 18th century, and how to police the border have been points of contention since Britain voted in 2016 to leave the European Union.

Spain, Britain, and the EU agreed on December 31, 2020, hours before Britain's full exit from the bloc, that Gibraltar would remain part of EU agreements such as the border-free Schengen Area, pending a lasting solution.

Last year, Spain and Britain said they were very close to signing a deal but could not yet agree on the joint use and policing of Gibraltar airport.

A new British negotiating team took over the talks after the new Labour government came to power in July and the sides have been silent on any progress since.

Some 15,000 people cross the border daily to work, relying on the Rock for employment and working across all areas of Gibraltar’s economy, from healthcare to the leisure industry.