Jorge Buxadé Villaba labelled Britain’s departure from the EU a “cirus” as he insisted the EU must “negotiate hard” with Brexit during trade talks. Speaking in European Parliament, Mr Buxadé said: “This circus of the UK’s departure from the committee club has come to an end.

“Now we have to negotiate trade and economic agreements which will uphold the rights of our nationals.

“For example, the right to fish in British waters for Spanish fishermen.

“Commercial rights that will insure we have free and proper competition with agricultural produce.

“But also in security. We negotiate hard but also we shouldn’t negotiate less hard than we do with countries other countries outside of Europe.

“With that in mind I think the time has come to wage the battle now and bring an end to bring a process to decolonisation in Gibraltar.

“We can’t have that British colony on Spanish national territory which is undermining with unfair tax policies.

“They’ve consolidated as a basis for laundering dirty money and we demand the commission sets out a path for decolonisation.

“We know its the responsibility of the Spanish Government but with loyal allies such as other members of this club we need you to work together and uphold things to our country.”

It comes as Brexit trade talks are set to start off on a bitter note after Spain joined France and Denmark in warning the EU will “defend” the right of European fishermen to catch in British waters.

Spain became the latest European Union member state to challenge the British Government’s pledge to take back full control of British waters from EU vessels after Brexit.

British waters have long been a point of contention between the UK and the bloc as many British coastal communities denounced the strict quota system regulating access to fishing stocks around the British Isles.

Spanish MEP Esteban González Pons demanded the EU negotiate in a “stiff fashion” with the UK while pledging to “defend” fishermen across the bloc.

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Addressing colleagues in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr González Pons said: “We’re going to negotiate with them in a stiff fashion as we do with any third country and we will defend our own.

“We will defend the decolonisation of Gibraltar, we are going to defend fishermen, those working at sea as well as those working on land. Our farmers, we are going to defend our products.

“If politicians in the UK want to become a third country, we’ll treat them like a third country.”

According to a report from the Marine Management Organisation released in 2018 found France, the Netherlands and Denmark are the top EU member states to catch fish in British waters.

Paris was found to have earned £171 million from the fish taken around the UK, with Amsterdam and Copenhagen following with earnings around £92 million and £90 million respectively.

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