Spain’s prime minister has said his country will vote against the divorce agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom if Gibraltar’s future is not considered a bilateral issue between Madrid and London.

The UK and the EU reached a 585-page draft withdrawal agreement and are fleshing out a far less detailed seven-page declaration on their future relations.

Both need to be approved by European leaders at a weekend summit.

HMS Queen Elizabeth
The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as it makes its way to Gibraltar (Dave Jenkins/MoD/PA)

If the documents do not change before Sunday, “Spain will vote no”, Pedro Sanchez has warned on Tuesday during a business forum organised by The Economist in Madrid.

Spain is the only among 27 countries that has voiced opposition to the deal because it deems unclear the wording of how Gibraltar, the British territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, would be dealt with.