Brexit interview with the British Ambassador to Spain

Simon Manley answers questions about how Brexit will affect British nationals with an interest in Spain

During the latter part of the week, British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, visited the Region of Murcia, taking time from his busy schedule to speak to the Murcia Today Editor about the various issues which have arisen following the referendum vote for a European Union Br-exit.

The vote to take Britain out of the EU has rapidly changed the face of British politics, and new Prime Minister Theresa May has promised that "Brexit means Brexit", appointing David Davis to the new cabinet position of secretary of state for exiting the European Union - or "Brexit secretary.” Backed by fellow Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Liam Fox, he will be the man responsible for negotiating terms of the British exit from Europe and picking through the thousands of pages of legislation which dictate the relationships with each European nation , and redefining that relationship, some of which will relate to those of us living and working in Spain.

All of us living here in Spain understand that this is an immensely complicated task. Just looking at our own little microcosm here in the Murcia Region we have so many different sets of needs to take into consideration: there are sizeable British owned companies operating here employing both English and Spanish staff trading in both the UK and Europe; there are Spanish companies exporting substantial quantities of products to the UK who will be affected by trade agreements, the agricultural sector being the most important in this region; there are small expat businesses worried about their status, right to work, and the effect Brexit could have on their businesses; there are Murcian nationals living and working in the UK, concerned about their rights to free movement and right to work in the UK; there are retired expats who live here permanently but receive their pensions in Sterling from the UK and are concerned about healthcare rights, fiscal obligations, taxation and residency status; there are property owners who are preoccupied by the inheritance tax implications of Brexit, their fiscal oblications, their right to own investment property in Spain, their right to come and go as they please; there are potential investors and purchasers considering a move in the future unsure what their rights will be when Brexit actually happens….so many sets of people, each with their own unique needs and issues, all of which will need to be addressed.

We asked the Ambassador who would be looking after our interests and who would be negotiating on our behalf.

He explained that the core negotiations would be undertaken between representatives nominated by each EU member state, who would represent their countries’ position in the negotiations between the EU and the UK.

The interests of the UK would be represented by the new government department charged with handling Brexit, run by newly appointed “Brexit Secretary”, David Davis. Spain would also nominate a person charged with representing the interests of Spain who would put forward the points raised by the Spanish government via the EU body created to oversee negotiations.

He was confident that the Spanish government would want to “preserve and develop” the relationship between Spain and the UK, his “hope and belief” being that the Spanish government recognises the contributions made by British nationals to the Spanish economy and the róle played by Spanish businesses in the UK economy. It was, he said, in the interests of both to preserve and develop this relationship, building on the economy with “strength and vitality.” More than 250,000 UK nationals currently reside in Spain, contributing to the Spanish economy, British tourists are the largest contributers to the Spanish economy of any nation, and spent 16 billion euros in Spain last year, a  figure set to increase this year, many major Spanish businesses operate in the UK, Iberdrola, for example, operates major wind and wave farms feeding electric into the UK grid and British companies operating in Spain currently offer “some of the best paid jobs in Spain” for Spanish nationals. There are also 100,000 Spanish nationals working in the UK at the moment, and the Spanish government is keen to protect their rights to continue living and working in the UK.

Would sovereignty of Gibraltar be a “spanner in the works“, which could potentially disrupt this understanding, we asked?

He replied that he very much hoped both governments would “find ways to identify the positives of a mutually beneficial relationship” and support a “dynamic free market that creates thousands of jobs for Spanish nationals”. Currently around 10,000 Spanish nationals cross the border into Gibraltar every day in order to work, and the Ambassador expressed the commitment of the British government to find “enablers for economic growth” and “positives”.

Since the Brexit vote the First Minister of Gibraltar has been engaged in talks with unions representing the workers who cross into Gibraltar, the local government of La Linea de Concepción, the “Campo de Gibraltar” to discuss possible avenues of co-operation, as well as holding meetings with representatives of the British government to clarify possible avenues of negotiation and protect the position of the gibraltan residents and businesses.

So what would his role be as the representative of the British government in Spain during this Brexit negation period?

His rôle, he said, would be as a conduit for information and communication. The British government has made a commitment to respect the will of the British people who have voted for Britain to leave the EU. His job is to feed information both ways and communicate with all parties here in Spain, as a representative of the British government. His visit to Murcia could be seen as an example of this work: he met with Murcian businesses exporting fruit and salad products to major British supermarkets and inaugurated a new research facility at one of them, the message sent by the British government being that it would be “business as usual” until the negotiations had been concluded and the UK formally left the EU. All trading agreements currently established would be respected, the rights of Spanish businesses selling to and working in the UK would be maintained and all efforts would be undertaken to secure trading terms which would not prejudice the current business arrangements in place now which are worth billions of euros to both countries.

He also participated in a forum organised by leading Murcian businesses to discuss the Brexit situation and how it could possibly affect the fortunes of Murcian regional businesses, working in export, particularly the horticultural sector and those engaged in the property sector and servicing the needs of the “residential tourism expat” and the holidaymakers who represent the most important foreign tourist market here in the Murcia Region. The Murcian government was quick to issue a statement the day after the Brexit vote expressing its “sadness” to hear that the UK had voted to leave the EU, a “decision which we’re not happy about” and expressing its trust that intelligent negotiations would ensue to protect the interests of the business community. During his visit the Ambssador also met with the regional president and representatives of other businesses and sectors of the population in the Murcia Region.

During his speech at the forum he emphasised that “the UK would not turn its back on Spain” and would work, “to obtain the best disconnection possible”, guaranteeing there would be “no immediate changes”.

"Member states are, and will continue to be, our neighbours, friends, allies and associates, and the UK will aim to establish the best relationship with them relating to trade in goods and services, international co-operation and security, ” he said, emphasising that the UK  ”is, and remains, a great country in which to invest, work and study.”

We then asked if this commitment to the needs of the business community meant that the needs of expats would be given a lower priority in the “overall scheme” of interests for the nation.

The Ambassador responded that he had also ensured that time had been given to the expat media to hold conversations and answer questions about the whole process of Brexit so that information could be given to the expat population and those with an interest in the region. His main concern was to make sure British nationals understood that their needs would be taken into account and that the British government was keen to make sure it understood the issues which were facing expat nationals across Europe who would ultimately be affected by the negotiations. He emphasised yet again that the rights of UK citizens are not currently affected, that nothing will change until the UK finally leaves the EU and that it is impossible at this moment in time to “speculate” about what the outcome of the nogotiations will be.

He was keen for anyone with concerns to share them with his team, who are engaged in preparing their points for discussion which will be submitted to the negotiating team in London. The Embassy team in Spain are not directly involved in negotiations, but act as a channel via which information can be fed to London and conversely, to interested parties in Spain. Expats are welcome to submit their concerns to the British Embassy in Madrid, via the consular social media or via media such as ourselves. (email to contact@murciatoday.com clearly marking the email BREXIT to forward to the UK Brexit team).

Finally, asked whether there was any indication of what type of residency model resident expats could realistically expect to follow after Brexit, the Ambassador reiterated that it was too early to speculate and that “we don´t know what the final status will be.”

He guaranteed that expats would be kept informed, allowing them to make responsible decisions to ensure that they were “happy and secure”.

He maintained that the new Prime Minister would seek to prepare comprehensive information about the points for negotiation before invoking Article 50, taking the needs of all parties into consideration.

Admitting that he “would have preferred the vote to go differently” he emphasised the commitment of the UK Government to fulfilling the wishes of the British public and achieving the best outcome for everyone.

Theresa May will now begin the unenviable task of taking Britain out of the EU, the challenge which will define her premiership, and has said that she will not trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty  before the end of 2016, preferring to set up a negotiating team and establish basic areas for preliminary informal discussion before the end of the year.

Within the first few hours of her premiership she has appointed the key individuals who will be involved in the Brexit negotiations, been to Scotland to discuss points with the Scottish premier, spoken by phone with key world leaders including the Chancellor of Germany and French president, and instructed the search for a building in which to house the negotiating team and all those who must now wade through thousands of documents relating to EU treaties and British legislation bound by EU law. It’s not expected to be an easy ride and pressure is already building in some parts of Europe for the UK to invoke Article 50 and “get on with it.”

Full coverage of Brexit developments will be posted daily on the www.spanishnewstoday.com site.

Image: British Ambassador Simon Manley meeting the Murcian President Pedro Alberto Sánchez.