Madrid and London had a deal to block independence, that has now changed.

Madrid and London had a deal to block independence, that has now changed. | Reuters

Humphrey CarterPalma20/08/2021 10:18
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When Mariano Rajoy and David Cameron were the respective right wing leaders of Spain and the UK, they struck a deal that they would block any attempts by Catalonia and Scotland to gain independence and reenter the EU, that has gone out of the window.

Now the contrary has happened. Scottish independence has been given a boost after a Spanish minister insisted that Spain would not block Scotland’s entry into the EU.

It had previously been theorised that Spain would exercise their veto right if an independent Scotland attempted to join the EU, as the Spanish did not want to offer encouragement to pro-independence Catalonian and Basque activists.

However, it has come to light that the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Borrell, has recently declared that Spain will not block Scotland’s entry into the European Union if independence is legally achieved and this has always been the intention of the Spanish Government.

“The Spanish Government has not and never will intervene in the internal affairs of the United Kingdom or any other state and expects the same reciprocal attitude.” This will no doubt come as a welcome boost to Nicola Sturgeon and her fresh drive for independence while proving a headache for London who has just lost an important ally in keeping Scotland in the union.