Spain–United Kingdom relations

Spain and Britain reached a preliminary agreement on Thursday to keep the Gibraltar land border open, just hours before Britain's full exit from the European Union.

As part of the agreement, Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory located on Spain's southern tip, will remain part of European Union agreements such as the Schengen Area, Spanish Foreign Minister Gonzalez Laya said.

Spain is likely to wield a veto over any Brexit deal for Gibraltar after the EU-27 backed Madrid in its draft negotiating guidelines for forthcoming divorce talks between the UK and the bloc.
Gibraltar is a disputed territory, which Britain has held for centuries. For the UK, any Brexit deal would automatically apply to Gibraltar, since it claims it as British territory.