Britain’s Left has always found Gibraltar, an enthusiastically pro-British and patriotic sort of place, faintly embarrassing. Add to that the fact that ‘Gib’ continues to bedevil the UK’s relationship with Spain, a fellow member of the EU, and the scene was clearly set for a spot of betrayal. The first stage of this process was to be the introduction of ’shared sovereignty’. Naturally the Gibraltarians were not consulted, but the Rock’s inhabitants went and held a vote on the idea anyway. The result? 98.97% voted in favor of keeping things the way they are.

EU countries are always proclaiming the importance of local democracy. Now is a good time for the UK and Spain to show that they mean it.