Its really important to send a message

of reassurance to people at this time

Simon Manley British Ambassador to Spain
The Ambassador repeats
the British governments
pledge to work to protect
the interests of Britons in
other EU countries, and
those of Gibraltar
:: RACHEL HAYNES
MALAGA. By now Simon Manley
will have had a full week of being
asked questions he cant answer. As
he said in his message sent out last
Friday, nothing has changed now for
British residents in Spain. What happens after the Article 50 negotiations
to establish the term of the eventual
Brexit is something he does not know.
Whatever happens, though, Britain
is a great country, inside and outside
the EU.
Did the referendum result take you
by surprise?
We always knew it was going to be a
very close vote. I made no assumptions. People have made their decision and the important thing is that
once people have decided we respect
that decision and we move on to give
effect to it.
-Many British residents in Spain are
worried about how the result will
affect them. What are main concerns received by the embassy and
consulates?
On the basis of the calls and queries,
peoples concerns are practical - about
healthcare, access to social services,
issues like that. Thats why we made
the video on Friday and put it on Facebook to preempt some of the questions we thought people living in
Spain might have. As of yesterday
[Monday] it had had 650,000 visits.
But the message only deals with the
immediate future, until Brexit takes
effect. What then?
It is really important to send a mes-

sage of reassurance to people at this

time. People have been asking: what
do I have to do now, do I not have access to healthcare, do I not have access to social services, do I have to sell
my property? As of now, nothing has
changed. Britain remains a full member of the EU during the process of
negotiations - which havent even
started yet - and because of that you
as a British citizen living in Spain continue to enjoy the same rights and
obligations as EU citizens through
that process.
Now the Conservative party has
to elect a new leader; that new leader
will become prime minister; the government has to prepare for Article 50
negotiation; and the new prime minister will have to decide when and
how to invoke article 50. It would be
foolish of me or anyone across my
network here in Spain to give a full
sense of reassurance about the conclusion of the negotiations.
The prime minister said on Friday
and in the House of Commons on
Monday that we will work to protect
the interests of the UK, including
Britons in other parts of the EU. Its
a negotiation; we dont yet know our
own negotiating posture, let alone
what the response to that will be from
our EU partners.
So what would you say to someone
planning to retire to Spain in the
next few years? Should they rethink?
We always say think really carefully
that hasnt changed. Think about
finances, get good advice on housing,
property, do your research and follow the debate. Im not saying dont
come but do your homework.
Is there a chance that the Brexit
might not happen?
I can only speak from where we are
as a government, and weve said we
need to respect the British people and

Ambassador Simon Manley. :: SUR

It would be foolish to give a

full sense of reassurance
about the conclusion of the
negotiations
Our future is a bright one
as a country; nothing has
changed on that score and
will not change

to elect a prime minister to take forward the negotiation. The next prime
minister will choose when and how
to invoke Article 50.
The Brexit vote has caused concern among the tourism industry
on the Costa del Sol. Was this an
overreaction?
Tourism is one of the greatest success
stories of our relationship: 16 million
Brits visited Spain last year. Figures
are looking to go up this year; they
went up 19 per cent in the first few
months. There are reports of booking up 20 to 25% over last year. This
is partly because of problems in North
Africa and in Turkey and the threat
of terrorism, but also because Spain
is a great destination so loved by British tourists, so I dont quite see why
that should change. But again, lets
see what the process of negotiation
does and if it affects that extraordinary love affair the British people
have had with Spain that dates back
to the 1950s.
Has the decision damaged the image of Britain in Spain?
I hope not. Were a great democracy,
arguably the worlds oldest and greatest democracy, and an old and great
democracy takes difficult decisions,
listens to the views of the people, and
then moves on. Britains a great country inside or outside the EU. We have
an extraordinary network of influence around the world, through the
G7, the G20, the UN, the Commonwealth. We are a big player in the
world. None of that changes; we remain the country of Shakespeare, of
David Beckham, of Jaime Oliver of
all that is great about our country. So
my message to readers is to be proud
of your country; be proud of the way
in which we have responded to the
vote last week and come with us on
this journey because our future is a
bright one as a country. Nothing has

changed on that score and will not

change. Whatever the challenge we
face, we face up to it and move on.
Have you had any contact with the
Spanish authorities in the last few
days with regards to Gibraltar?
We have not been talking to the Spanish authorities about Gibraltar in the
last few days. We have a very good
relationship with Gibraltar. The prime
minister has said that we will continue to stand by Gibraltar and that
remains the case. I personally think
there is much to be gained from the
governments of Gibraltar, Spain and
the United Kingdom working together to promote prosperity right
across that zone. Gibraltar can be the
entrepreneurial heart of a zone of
prosperity in that part of Andaluca
and thats what we should be focusing on, and the practical collaboration we can have between Gibraltar,
UK and Spain to fight against organised crime and drug trafficking in
that area. Practical cooperation is the
way forward.
What about Spanish residents in
the UK? Would you send the same
message of reassurance and calm?
As the prime minister said yesterday,
we recognise the really important
contribution that members of other
EU member states have made and
continue to make to the British economy and to British society; its one of
the great strengths of our society and
our economy that weve been so open
to international investment, to those
who come to work in our economy,
the strength of our multicultural and
multifaith society, something that it
is an important value to cherish as
we move forward.
Do you think the result might have
given EU citizens the feeling that
they are not wanted?
Thats not the message from the government. The message is that we welcome the contribution they make;
they are important in so many different spheres, the health service, financial services, the services sector.
So many Spaniards now working in
the UK are making a real contribution to our country. There have been
one or two unfortunate incidents.
But thats not the view of the government and I genuinely believe its
not the view of the average Brit; we
are a welcoming and tolerant society.