Thread by @RMBFLK

I've been tweeting a lot about UK #OverseasTerritories not being part of the #Brexit deal and a bit more has emerged ...

#Falklands MLA @teslynbark has answered a q about #Brexit and the #Falklands on fb - highlights:

1 Original UK EU mandate didn't include OTs except for Gibraltar.

2 In May, EU said they didn't have a mandate to negotiate for their OTs and wouldn't negotiate on UK OT issues.

(2 possibly explains what @BorisJohnson said about EU "intransigence" in his Christmas message to the #Falklands, but wasn't mentioned when he replied to a pmq from @DerekTwiggMP earlier in the month)

3 @teslynbark says that @falklandsgov held that the new spirit of negotiations that evolved through the year gave space for #Falklands interests to be raised in #BrexitDeal talks and asking for detail on how they were raised by UK Government ...

4 @teslynbark says future negotiations with the EU aren't held to the same mandate as before so @falklandsgov to keep pushing to have #Falklands trade concerns raised

@FalklandsRepUK will have been pushing this point in the UK for some time and has explained why all of this matters to the #Falklands (something to do with a lot of exports going to the EU and being subject to tariffs from tonight):

https://twitter.com/FalklandsRepUK/status/1225418417374711808?s=19

It's also acquired political significance: a lot of mischief has been made by Argentina about it

#Gibraltar now has its own #BrexitDeal with the EU and, hopefully, the #Falklands and the other #OverseasTerritories can get theirs too ...

Unlike #Gibraltar, the other #OverseasTerritories don't have land borders with the EU, but the #Falklands might (just might) have their own bit of leverage because of the links between Spain and the #FalklandIslands fishery ...

Who knows? Maybe the Spanish fishing companies will be our German car manufacturers ;-)

@threadreaderapp: Unroll, if you would. Please and thank you.

Follow up:
@FCDOGovUK/@morton_wendy had issued a statement on 30 December about the exclusion of the #OverseasTerritories from the #BrexitDeal
gov.uk/government/new…

@FCDOGovUK @morton_wendy @morton_wendy says "Despite trying everything we could, the European Commission refused to negotiate a future relationship that included the OTs. We sought to change the Commission’s position, but it declined to engage."

(#Falklands MLA @teslynbark said on fb yesterday that @FalklandsGov is asking for detail on how #FalklandIslands interests were raised in the #BrexitDeal talks.)