My dear fellow Gibraltarians
You look better every year in red and white!
And those of you who are not here at Casemates because they cannot be here at Casemates,
Those at Calpe House in London.
At St Bernards, at Mount Alvernia, the John Mac Wing or Hillsides, at Ocean Views or at home...
Or those Gibraltarians watching us from around the world.
I know your hearts are always home on the Rock.
I know you are as red and white as we all are.
I know that Gibraltar is with you, wherever you are.
And to those working today:
Thank you for making the day great for all of us.
From our essential services and law enforcement.
To the staff in the bars and restaurants and the musicians.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WORKING ON NATIONAL DAY.
Thank you always to the staff of Britannia Cleaners who made the square clean for us and will clean it up after us.
Thank you.
And thank you also for keeping our fair clean this year.
And to Forti and all his team and the team at Culture.
Thank you.
Now,
My dear fellow Gibraltarians,
We have been celebrating for 33 years already.
And our red and white day is now famous well beyond our frontier
Not least at Buckingham Palace.
Before I tell you anything else, it is my job, as Chief Minister, to read you a message from His Majesty the King.
King Charles the Third.
The King of Gibraltar.
His Majesty has sent us a message for our National Day.
This morning, His Excellency the Governor handed me a letter from The King that reads as follows.
These are the words of His Majesty the King:
“As you and the people of Gibraltar celebrate the auspicious occasion of your National Day, my wife and I have great pleasure in conveying our warmest congratulations to your Chief Minister and to the people of Gibraltar.
As a cherished member of our overseas family, it is with great pride that I reflect on the many achievements of the people of Gibraltar.
It seems to me that our shared history, interests and values have fostered in both countries a deep mutual loyalty and respect, which has served us so well in working together on matters of economic, cultural and environmental importance.
I know that we will continue to collaborate on climate change and sustainability and I commend your continued efforts to find innovative and long-lasting solutions to complex issues, such as the replanting of native seagrass in Gibraltar's waters to combat species decline and increase carbon capture, as well as the development of Gibraltar's twenty five-year environment plan, which places sustainable development goals at the heart of creating a greener, more sustainable and low-carbon Gibraltar.
My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to send our very best wishes for the year ahead.
Charles R.”
On behalf of ALL of Gibraltar, THANK YOU, Your Majesty, for such a kind, gracious and warm message on this National Day.
I have also got today a letter from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, my friend and your friend Sir Kier Starmer.
The Prime Minister extends his warmest wishes to the people of Gibraltar as we celebrate our National Day.
He then says this:
“This day stands as a testament to the enduring strength, unity, and democratic will of the Gibraltarian people.
It is also a moment to reaffirm the deep and historic bond between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, built on shared values, mutual respect, and a steadfast commitment to self-determination.
This year's celebrations carry added significance following the Political Agreement reached on 11 June. between the United Kingdom, the European Union, Gibraltar and Spain.
Following extensive and constructive negotiations, this agreement marks a pivotal step toward a future treaty that will ensure a prosperous and secure future for Gibraltar.
I pay tribute to the Chief Minister, your Government and your negotiating team for the pivotal role you played in steering these negotiations, over many years, to a successful conclusion.
Our teams continue to work to finalise the text of the Treaty, ensuring that the people and businesses of Gibraltar have the certainty and stability they deserve.
Gibraltar and its people will always be a cherished part of the UK family.
The foundation stone of our partnership remains the connections of our people, supported by the UK's resolute position on sovereignty and self determination by the people of Gibraltar.
I reaffirm once again today my Government's commitment to the double lock.
As you gather in red and white to mark this special day, I know you will do so with pride in all that Gibraltar has achieved and with confidence in the future we are building together.”
THANK YOU, PRIME MINISTER
Yesterday evening I spoke to the NEW Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
She also wished all of us a very Happy National Day and confirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to the double lock on the sovereignty of Gibraltar.
And I want to thank also, my dear friend and one of our best friends ever in any British Government, now Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, for his clear message a few moments ago.
And thank you also to all our old and new friends in the UK Parliament who have joined us this year to defend Gibraltar.
Amanda, who has taken over a leader of the All Party Group in Parliament.
And Sir Bob Neil, who is now a Freeman of the City of Gibraltar.
Thank you to them and to all our friends from the British Parliament who are here to support our right to self determination.
My dear friends, what the whole world now knows is that we are ALWAYS going to be BRITISH, always.
We are always going to be an integral part of the British family.
And, whoever it may pain:
THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE.
Because when we talk about our right to decide - our right of self determination - we say one more thing.
We decide to STAY BRITISH FOREVER.
And no one can ever untie the knot that joins us to Britain.
It is a knot tied in perpetuity.
And this year, we can celebrate our British Sovereignty AFTER we have done what we told you we would.
We – Gibraltar and Britain together - have done a deal with the EU which does not compromise our sovereignty in any way.
That is what we promised you.
That is what we have done.
I told you that we would never surrender our British sovereignty or any part of it.
For any price.
For any deal.
For any benefit.
I GUARANTEED that we would only bring back a deal that was safe and secure.
And that is what we have delivered.
Because we say it here every year.
And we mean it here and everywhere we say it, every year.
We will never cede.
Not one grain of our sand.
Not one drop of our waters.
Not one breath of our air.
It’s all British forever.
And we have not.
And we will not.
I told you last year that I GUARANTEED, that I would bring back a deal that was SAFE and SECURE.
Why?
Because if it was not safe and secure, I would NOT bring it back.
And that is why the deal we have brought back is safe and secure.
And the treaty that will reflect it will be safe and secure.
No aspect of our sovereignty, jurisdiction or control will be ceded or compromised.
Because we owe it to us and to you never to cede.
NEVER TO SURRENDER.
We owe it to the EVACUATION GENERATION who fought to come back to the Rock.
We owe it to the REFERENDUM GENERATION that stood up to the murderous dictator in Madrid.
Their FREE CHOICE is what we celebrate and honour today.
And we owe it to the CLOSED FRONTIER GENERATION that endured the last siege of Gibraltar.
For them.
Our parents.
Our grandparents.
And most importantly.
FOR OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN.
Because this land is THEIR LAND.
The land we will leave to our future generations and their future generations.
Our sacred land where our ancestors made sacrifice after sacrifice.
Where our ancestors are buried.
Where our ancestors built a City on a Hill that has stood the test of time.
They built a City on a Rock that has stood the test of siege after siege.
They built a City on the strongest foundations in the world.
And we, the BREXIT GENERATION have defended our home for the Gibraltar the NEXT GENERATION will inherit from us.
And now, in the last stages of preparing this Treaty, we will not blink in making sure it’s as safe and secure as the deal we’ve announced is.
Together with Britain, we have seen off many foes over the centuries.
Now, with a new treaty with the EU,
With a new relationship with our neighbours,
We are ready to build a better future.
A future with more opportunities.
A future with less obstacles.
A future that will be better for our precious children.
But a FUTURE as EXCLUSIVELY British forever as we said it would be.
And a future when we will not be on any UN list.
And in that future, you, we, the Gibraltarians will be UNSTOPPABLE.
Our Nation will be UNSTOPPABLE.
Our people will be UNSTOPPABLE.
Because we are the people of this Rock.
The Gibraltarians.
Los Llanitos.
British forever.
Red, white and blue.
Red, white and PROUD.
Red, white and FREE.
THANK YOU.
I LOVE YOU, GIBRALTAR.
HAPPY NATIONAL DAY.
