TNAG-0714-FCO40-910-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 60

Mr Levoir

HKGD

54

Reference

CONFIDENTIAL

нка

HKC 025/2

RECEIVED TAPASY 10. 51 19 APR 1978

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

the

Rev

EL

CONSERVATIVE PARTY POLICY ON THE DT's

(452) 1.

2.

Your minute of 6 April refers.

The question of, Gibraltar's integration with Britain last came up in June 1976 when the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition had talks in London with the then Minister of State, Mr Hattersley. The subject of the talks was the Report of the Gibraltar Constitution Committee. The outcome was a memorandum by HMG which has come to be known as the "Hattersley memorandum"

3.

which

•

I quote from the relevant section of the memorandum:- "It has to be recognised that it is impracticable to consider decolonisation in the form of integration with Britain In particular the proposals in the Constitution Report tend towards closer integration (an Act of Parliament; a permanent economic link; a London committee: formal provision for consultation with the Chief Minister; transfer to the Home Office; and, perhaps, full UK citizenship) run counter to the British Government's views on integration which have been expressed in the past and again by Mr Hattersley during his visit to Gibraltar in September 1975. Since the British Government consider that close integration is neither a desirable nor a practicable option

Our view was that the present constitution and the pledges given by the British Government adequately safeguarded the position of the people of Gibraltar, both constitutionally and economically. The memorandum also pointed out that in view of recent developments in Spain, and in order not to inhibit the development of a more favourable Spanish attitude towards the Gibraltarian people, it would be best to avoid innovations of the type proposed.

4.

Although this clear rejection of integration resulted in the disappearance of the opposition Integration with Britain Party (IWBP) as an effective political force the integrationist voice is still heard.

5. You will also wish to know, with reference to the remark attributed to Mr Shelton in Mr Cortazzi's minute, that integration has been ruled out in the past by Labour and Conservative adminis- trations.

6

Presumably you will be consulting NTD about the Green Paper on Nationality. Gibraltarians have protested strongly at the suggest- ion that they might become British Citizens under the proposals in the Green Paper.

7 April 1978

CODE 18-77

CONFIDENTIAL

SS 10/76

لحمل

J D Sawyer

Southern European Dept

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