Gibraltar Today

An emotional Sir David Steel has bid his farewells in town, with well-wishers lining Main Street. The Governor said it had been a privilege to be a part of the community and was proud to call Gibraltar his home. He was due to board afternoon flight to the UK. Jonathan Sacramento was present at the Guard Mount and told us what the atmosphere was like as the Governor made his way along Main Str...

There were tears at the Convent as the Governor and Chief Minister addressed each other at a Convent reception ahead of Sir David Steel’s departure. Fabian Picardo presented Sir David Steel with the keys to the City of Gibraltar as a memento of his time on the Rock. Sir David said it had been a privilege to be a part of Gibraltar’s community, and was proud to call Gibraltar his home. Jonathan Sacr...

On GBC’s ‘The Needle’ last night, The Chief Minister said he didn't need a poll to talk about Brexit, it's the elephant in the room. Fabian Picardo said a Brexit treaty would deliver more EU benefits than ever, without compromising sovereignty. Meanwhile in London, The Foreign Secretary has told the European Scrutiny Committee the driving focus of Gibraltar treaty negotiations is to impr...

A GBC poll suggests freedom of movement is the most important aspect of the treaty negotiations for the people of Gibraltar. A majority of more than 2,100 respondents are prepared to make concessions in order to achieve that. But, many are concerned about increased Spanish influence in Gibraltar’s affairs. The poll was carried out for a new TV programme “The Needle” which airs at 9pm tonight. Anto...

The Chief Minister is back in Gibraltar following yesterday's meeting in Brussels. Fabian Picardo has told GBC the upcoming European elections are not going to stop the treaty talks progressing. He said the mood during yesterday’s six and a half hour meeting was optimistic, with the work continuing today. Meanwhile the Leader of the Opposition says there is some disappointment that nothi...

The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have arrived at the European Commission in Brussels, ahead of the meeting to discuss the progress towards a UK-EU treaty for Gibraltar. They will meet UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič. Mr Albares spoke to the press ahead of the meeting: he sa...

The Chief Minister is travelling to Brussels today to join the Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, at a meeting with European Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. On the agenda: a UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar. Our news editor Christine Vasquez brought us the latest.   They say that “there is nothing m...

The Chief Minister has told GBC treaty negotiations are progressing well and that it could be time to take stock of where we are in the negotiations and how it compares to a no deal scenario. He added that if negotiations had to continue, it would not be Gibraltar who left the table first. Fabian Picardo says a treaty of some form could have been ready earlier, but it had needed to be acceptable....

The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs says the joint use of Gibraltar airport is an element of the treaty which has been decided. Jose Manuel Albares says he remains optimistic that a broad agreement will be reached. We also heard the reaction from the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. Kevin Ruiz followed this morning's press conference in Madrid. Davie Wilson brought us the latest local sports ne...

The McGrail Inquiry has heard 5 weeks of evidence. A public inquiry is a major investigation, convened by the government. They don’t happen very often. The reason for this one is public concern about the events that led to the early retirement of Ian McGrail as Commissioner of Police. Following an ‘open justice’ application by GBC, more than 100 hours of this played out across Gibraltar’s hom...

It’s the last day of the main hearings at the McGrail Inquiry. Former Governor, Nick Pyle, continues to give evidence. He’s refused to withdraw his comment that the police vessel involved in the deadly collision at sea was ‘weaponised’. And he’s stood by his evidence there would have been greater accountability if two Gibraltarians had died. Lawyer for the RGP Nick Cruz put to...

The McGrail Inquiry is coming to an end, with the former Governor Nick Pyle giving evidence today. Mr Pile stated the collision at sea as the defining moment in which he lost confidence in the former Commissioner. He said he had aske Mr McGrail for the location of the collision several times, and believes the former Commissioner withheld from him the fact it had happened in Spanish water...

Fabian Picardo has stressed the former Commissioner of Police lied to his face, in his office, about the advice given to him on something that affected Gibraltar’s reputation, namely the execution of a search warrant at the office and home of Hassans Senior Partner James Levy KC, who Mr Picardo described as a friend, business partner, and Gibraltar’s main “rainmaker”. Jonathan Scott was joine...

This morning the McGrail Inquiry has been hearing evidence from the Chief Minister. The former Police Commissioner Ian McGrail has accused Fabian Picardo of forcing him to leave the force early after investigating Mr Picardo’s business partner and close friend. Mr Picardo has told the Inquiry his relationship with the former Police Commissioner changed following the incident in Spanish waters that...

The Chairman of the Police Authority has told the McGrail Inquiry they invited the Commissioner to retire because they felt he couldn’t continue to function without the confidence of the Governor and the Chief Minister. Joey Britto said it was principally the Governor’s confidence which was important, because he had the power to call for Ian McGrail’s resignation. Mr&...

Former Police Federation Chairman, Maurice Morello, has told the McGrail Inquiry he attempted to submit a complaint against the former Commissioner. He says he was told by the Police Authority there was no mechanism in place to submit a bullying claim. Mr Morello, whose relationship with Mr McGrail was fraught, said the GPA was supportive but didn’t have the ‘oomph’ to take on the police. The meet...

The McGrail Inquiry has returned after the long weekend, with Police Commissioner Richard Ullger telling the Inquiry the fraught relationship with the Gibraltar Police Federation was because its Chairman at the time, Maurice Morello, was a difficult person and a rebel who tried to make life difficult for RGP management. He said he particularly disliked Mr McGrail. Mr Ullger says the Federation now...

The Attorney General did not advise the Chief Minister to stay away from the criminal investigation into the alleged hacking of the National Security Information System in 2020. Michael Llamas KC accepted that - in hindsight - an angry meeting between himself, the Chief Minister and the Commissioner of Police should NOT have happened. Mr Llamas accepted he didn't ask himself: maybe...

Former senior advisory counsel to the Government, Lloyd DeVincenzi, said he was concerned by the connection between Hassans, the Chief Minister and the Financial Secretary. Giving evidence at the McGrail Inquiry, Mr DeVincenzi said he was shocked when he came to know that 36 North, which was being investigated by the police, was owned by Hassans - and theref...

The Chief Minister has described the European Parliament vote to keep Gibraltar in the EU's list of "high-risk" third countries as a 'blip' and 'Margallo's last stand'. Fabian Picardo spoke to GBC and says Gibraltar would have never even been on this list if it weren't for Brexit. He said he expects this decision to be reversed. The family of a man left paralysed have told GBC...

More than £10 million will be going to the family of a young man who - as a teenager - suffered a severe fall at the Dr Giraldi Home in 2013. For years, the matter was heading towards a Supreme Court trial, but at the eleventh hour the Government has decided it will pay up on behalf of the Care Agency.  Ian Triay Clarence brought us the details. The Divisional Sites and Se...

The two former RGP officers involved in the Collision at Sea incident in March 2020 in which two Spanish Nationals died, have had the verdict quashed on Appeal. The Judgement, handed down today, successfully overturned the 2021 Coroner's finding of "Unlawful Killing" which had been upheld in judicial review last year. The Appeal Court ruled that the Coroner's directions to the jury were "deeply fl...

Jonathan Scott brings you the latest from the McGrail Inquiry, which is looking at the events that led to the early retirement of the Police Commissioner Ian McGrail in June 2020. We hear evidence from the Director of Public Prosecutions Christian Rocca KC and Head of Litigation at Hassans Lewis Baglietto KC. Iain Triay Clarence speaks to the President of Calpe City FC, Seamus Byrne, after the clu...

Senior Partner James Levy has given his evidence, and now his lawyer is doing so. Lewis Baglietto has said he got involved to deal with what he thought was a gross abuse of power. Asked why he has not been able to provide his messages with the Chief Minister from 2020, he said these are not available on his phone as he routinely clears his chats. . A Gibraltarian archaeologist will be featured in...

The former Police Commissioner was asked about the police investigation into its alleged hacking - Operation Delhi. Ros Astengo brings us the latest from The Garrison Library. - And, what are the main challenges for a bank in Gibraltar? What are the main opportunities it can work on with its local customers? We speak to Christian Garcia who took over as the Chief Executive of Trusted Novus Bank a...