Tony Blair and Gordon Brown on Labour leadership

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‘Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution’ returns for a third episode tonight. The five-part series details the rise of the New Labour movement, focusing on Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Tonight’s episode focuses on the tensions brewing between the two during a rocky midterm period, and the question of succession, which came to the fore after a second landslide win in the 2001 General Election. The documentary has shed new light on Mr Blair’s premiership, including his attitude towards the EU and the UK’s place in it.

However, this is not the first time that behind-the-scenes information has leaked out since he stepped down in 2007.

Former Labour cabinet minister Peter Hain detailed a secret deal Mr Blair signed during his time in Downing Street in his 2012 memoir ‘Outside In’.

The deal, signed in April 2002, would have ended Britain’s sole control of Gibraltar, instead looking at an “Andorra solution” and moving towards a joint-sovereignty with Spain.

Mr Hain was Europe minister when the deal was signed.

Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory since 1713, but Mr Hain explained he set about working to “do something about Gibraltar” as soon as he landed the role in June 2001.

He explained this was based on a “gut instinct that it was ridiculous in the modern age for Britain to have a colony on the tip of Spain nearly 2,000 miles away”.

Mr Hain claimed that Mr Blair “enthusiastically” backed the plan.

Mr Blair reportedly told him: “It is really important to get a better future for Gibraltar, to secure a better relationship with Spain and to remove it as an obstacle to our relations within Europe.”

Mr Hain claimed Mr Blair was “contemptuous of Gibraltarian attitudes” towards remaining under British control.

The deal, signed on 18 April 2002 according to Mr Hain, would have allowed Britain to maintain a naval base on the outpost, while Gibraltarians could hold a binding referendum.

Hours after Mr Blair agreed to the deal, it was vetoed by the Spanish government.

Mr Hain accused the “conservative, nationalist” Spanish government of getting “cold feet at the last moment”. 

A week on and Mr Hain was back in Downing Street seeing Mr Blair, who had been visited by a group of pro-Gibraltar Labour MPs.

Mr Blair reportedly told him: “We are not going to be able to strike a deal at this moment because the Spanish aren’t ready for it.

“Trying to reopen their historic claim is not on.

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“We should just park the agreement, allow things to settle down, allow opinion in Gibraltar to realise that co-sovereignty is the way we are going, and allow Spain to realise that this deal remains on the table.”

Mr Hain wrote he and then-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had tried to argue with Mr Blair, but had no luck.

Mr Blair’s spokesman responded to the claim that Mr Blair wanted to give away Gibraltar, saying: “Tony Blair has never said or thought Gibraltar should be ‘run by Spain’.

“Nor was he ‘contemptuous’ of it.

“It is correct he thought the issue should be carefully handled because of relations with Spain — an important ally — but that is all.”

Mr Straw faced an extremely frosty reception when he returned to Gibraltar a few weeks down the line, according to Mr Hain.

Reports from May 2002 say Mr Straw was met with shouts of “traitor” and “Judas” when he visited Gibraltar after writing an article suggesting a co-sovereignty approach going forward.

In November 2002, a month after Mr Hain had stepped down as Europe minister, Gibraltarian opinion could not have been clearer.

In a Gibraltar sovereignty referendum, a staggering 98.7 percent voted to keep the status quo and remain under British rule.

Gibraltar has governed most of its own affairs since 2006, but defence and foreign relations remain Downing Street’s responsibility.

After Britain left the European Union, the UK and Spain agreed, in principle, to a basis on which the UK and the bloc may negotiate terms for Gibraltar to join the Schengen Area.

Gibraltar voted 95.9 percent in favour of remaining within the EU.

Elements of the proposed agreement include unrestricted movement of goods and Gibraltar’s airport becoming an entry point to the Schengen area, under Spanish responsibility.

Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

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