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Here’s where things stand on Thursday 12 June 2025:
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has apologised to the Spanish people after an escalating corruption scandal brought down a senior Socialist party colleague.
- British sovereignty over Gibraltar remains “sacrosanct”, the foreign secretary has said, after the UK agreed a deal with the European Union over the territory’s post-Brexit future
- The UK has agreed a deal with the European Union over Gibraltar’s status after Brexit.Talks on rules governing the border between Spain and the British Overseas Territory have been ongoing since the UK left the EU in 2020.
Spanish PM sorry after top official resigns in corruption scandal
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has apologised to the Spanish people after an escalating corruption scandal brought down a senior Socialist party colleague.
Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, said there was no such thing as “zero corruption”, adding he was wrong to trust Santos Cerdán, the secretary of his party and close political colleague.
Cerdán has been asked to testify in court after a judge suggested he may have acted with former party officials in improperly awarding public contracts in exchange for kickbacks.
He said on Thursday he was stepping down to defend himself in the Supreme Court on 25 June, maintaining he had “never committed a crime nor have I been complicit one”.
Amid mounting speculation over his own future, the prime minister called a news conference in a bid to distance himself from the creeping scandal. He said he knew absolutely nothing about the corruption affair and instead pledged to restructure the leadership of his Socialist PSOE party.
He rejected calls for early elections, insisting the next national vote would not take place until 2027 and his government would continue its “political project”.
“This is not about me, and it’s not about the Socialist party,” he said.
Despite his seven years in power, Sánchez heads a shaky coalition, secured after the conservative Popular Party won 2023 elections but failed to form a government.
While the opposition demanded answers on Thursday, deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz from left-wing coalition partner Sumar said she also wanted explanations.
It was Sánchez’s first appearance answering media questions since a national power outage that hit Spain in April.
Speaking from Socialist party (PSOE) headquarters in Madrid, the prime minister said he had until Thursday morning been persuaded of Santos Cerdán’s integrity and wanted to apologise to Spanish citizens.
“There is no such thing as zero corruption,” he said. “We shouldn’t have trusted him.”
Sanchez said that like many others he had his faults and asked the Spanish people for forgiveness.
He went on to accuse the conservatives of besieging his government on a multitude of issues.
Sánchez has faced repeated political crises and in April 2024 threatened to stand down.
He took five days to decide on his future in April 2024, when a court decided to open preliminary proceedings against his wife over allegations surrounding her business dealings.
Then too he called a televised news conference, and in a moment of high drama announced he had decided to stay on in the job.
UK agrees post-Brexit deal over Gibraltar
The UK has agreed a deal with the European Union over Gibraltar’s status after Brexit.
Talks on rules governing the border between Spain and the British Overseas Territory have been ongoing since the UK left the EU in 2020.
The UK said the agreement would avoid the need for checks on people and goods crossing the Gibraltar-Spain border.
For travellers arriving at Gibraltar airport, passport checks will be carried out by Gibraltar and Spanish officials.
Spanish border officials would be able to deny entry as it would be possible for British arrivals to continue their travel into Spain and the EU free-travel area without further checks.
This is similar to the system in place for Eurostar passengers at London’s St Pancras station, where travellers pass through both British and French passport control before boarding international trains.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal protected British sovereignty and supported Gibraltar’s economy.
He said the “breakthrough” delivered a practical solution, adding: “This government inherited a situation from the last government which put Gibraltar’s economy and way of life under threat.”
Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo also welcomed the agreement, saying: “I have worked hand in glove with the UK government throughout this negotiation to deliver the deal Gibraltar wants and needs – one that will protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed in a Wednesday evening phone call that the deal “unlocks significant opportunities to strengthen UK-Spain relations”.
Downing Street said Sir Keir also called Picardo to congratulate him on the deal and thank him for “his years of hard work, commitment, and leadership to reach an agreement”.
Gibraltar is a 2.6 square mile headland to the south of Spain.
The UK has had sovereignty over Gibraltar since 1713, although this is disputed by Spain, who claim the territory as their own.
The territory’s status and that of its border with Spain has been a key sticking point and has remained unresolved since Brexit.
An estimated 15,000 people cross the Gibraltar-Spain border every day for work and leisure.
Currently, Gibraltar residents can cross using residence cards without needing to have their passports stamped. Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card.
But there were concerns this would end with the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit system later this year, causing huge delays at the border.
The UK said all sides had agreed a clause making clear the final treaty does not impact the territory’s British sovereignty.
It said there would also be full operational autonomy of the UK’s military’s facilities in Gibraltar, where the airport is run by the Ministry of Defence and hosts an RAF base.
Public opinion in Gibraltar, which has a population of around 32,000, is in favour of keeping British sovereignty. The most recent referendum, held in 2002, saw almost 99% of voters reject a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain.
The breakthrough came after Lammy met Picardo and his cabinet in Gibraltar earlier, before the pair headed to Brussels for discussions with EU and Spanish ministers.
Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares and EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic both hailed the deal as “historic”, with Sefcovic saying it “reinforces a new chapter” in the EU-UK relationship.
All parties have committed to finalising a UK-EU treaty text on Gibraltar as quickly as possible, the UK government said.
However, Reform UK criticised the deal, with deputy leader Richard Tice saying: “Once again this Labour government have shown utter disregard for our overseas territories. This is another surrender.”
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said her party would examine the full legal text of the treaty to see if it met their “red lines”.
“The Conservative Party in government, and now in opposition has always been clear that any deal must ensure that the sovereignty and rights of Gibraltar are safeguarded in full and must carry the support of the government and people of Gibraltar, as well as protect constitutional arrangements. We also consistently opposed any efforts by Spain to disrupt the flow of goods at the border,” she said.
“Gibraltar is British, and given Labour’s record of surrendering our territory and paying for the privilege, we will be reviewing carefully all the details of any agreement that is reached.”
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said the agreement brought the UK “one step closer to a proper trade deal with the EU” but added that “it’s vital that Parliament is given the opportunity to scrutinise the details”.
No threat to British sovereignty over Gibraltar deal, says Lammy
British sovereignty over Gibraltar remains “sacrosanct”, the foreign secretary has said, after the UK agreed a deal with the European Union over the territory’s post-Brexit future.
David Lammy told the House of Commons the agreement included a clause “explicitly protecting our sovereignty”.
The deal removes checks on people and goods crossing the Gibraltar-Spain border.
However, some MPs raised concerns Spanish border officials would be able to deny entry to UK citizens flying into the British Overseas Territory.
For travellers arriving at Gibraltar airport, passport checks will be carried out by both Gibraltarian and Spanish officials.
This is similar to the system in place for Eurostar passengers at London’s St Pancras station, where travellers pass through both British and French passport control before boarding international trains.
This means it will be possible for arrivals to continue their travel from Gibraltar into Spain and the rest of the EU without further checks.
But Lammy insisted Gibraltar would not be joining the Schengen free travel area – 26 European states that have abolished passport control at their mutual border so people can travel freely.
Schengen countries also have common rules on asylum and countries whose nationals require visas.
Lammy said it was “fake news” that Gibraltar would be joining Schengen and “this was never on the table”.
“Immigration, policing and justice in Gibraltar will remain the responsibilities of Gibraltar’s authorities,” he added.
Talks on the rules governing the border between Spain and Gibraltar – a 2.6 square mile headland to the south of the country – have been ongoing since the UK left the EU in 2020.
The issue had been a key sticking point, which has remained unresolved since Brexit.
MPs broadly welcomed the deal, which has been hailed as “historic” by Gibraltar, Spain and the EU.
Giving a statement in the Commons, Lammy said Labour was “solving the problems leftover from the last [Conservative] government and their thin Brexit deal”.
He added that the deal “removes another obstacle to closer ties with our EU friends” and “provides much needed certainty for people and businesses in Gibraltar”.
An estimated 15,000 people cross the Gibraltar-Spain border every day for work and leisure.
Currently, Gibraltar residents can cross using residence cards without needing to have their passports stamped, while Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card.
But there were concerns this would end with the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit system later this year, causing huge delays at the border.
Lammy said without a deal every passport and all goods would need to be checked leading to “chaos and backlogs, endangering livelihoods of British citizens in Gibraltar, wrecking the territory’s economy and possibly costing hundreds of billions of pounds a year, placing pressure ultimately on the UK taxpayer to pick up the bill”.
The next step is for a full legal text to be finalised, which Lammy said all parties were “committed to completing as quickly as possible”.
The Conservatives have said they will examine the the final treaty to ensure it meets their red lines, including that it safeguards the sovereignty and rights of Gibraltarians.
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel also questioned whether Spanish officers would be able to stop British citizens coming to stay in Gibraltar.
Lammy insisted the only difference to what Conservative ministers had previously been negotiating was the sovereignty clause, which he said would ensure there was no question over Gibraltar’s status.
The UK has had sovereignty over Gibraltar since 1713, although this is disputed by Spain, who claim the territory as their own.
Public opinion in Gibraltar, which has a population of around 32,000, is in favour of keeping British sovereignty. The most recent referendum, held in 2002, saw almost 99% of voters reject a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain.
The UK said there would also be full operational autonomy for the UK’s military’s facilities in Gibraltar, where the airport is run by the Ministry of Defence and hosts an RAF base.
Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Helen Maguire welcomed the agreement, while calling for Parliament to get the opportunity to scrutinise and vote on it.
However, Reform UK have described the deal as a “surrender”.
Deputy leader Richard Tice raised concerns Spanish border officials would have “an effective veto” on British citizens from the UK landing in Gibraltar.
Lammy clarified that if there was an alert in relation to an arrival Spanish border guards and police would work alongside Gibraltarian police.
An individual would have the right to legal advice and be able to either return to their country of origin or go to Spain to face questions.
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