Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg under pressure to publicly declare Gibraltar belongs to Britain after wife controversially claims it's Spanish territory

Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg was under pressure to declare that Gibraltar belongs to Britain today after his wife claimed it was Spanish.Lady Miriam Clegg, who is Spanish and running in the country’s national elections, insisted the Rock belongs to her country during a TV interview to promote her campaign.But the remarks sparked a backlash given the prestigious ‘Lady’ and ‘Sir’ titles bestowed on the power couple by the British state.They also come after a controversial deal was struck between former premier Sir Keir Starmer and Brussels in July which means the peninsula has effectively become part of the European Union’s free movement Schengen zone despite being British.Branded a ‘surrender’ pact at the time, it eradicated the Spain-Gibraltar border crossing and means Britons have to show their passports to Spanish officials and face being refused entry despite it being UK territory.Control over the peninsula – important militarily because it sits at one of the world's busiest maritime choke points – has been disputed by London and Madrid since the tiny territory was ceded to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.It became a flashpoint during the Brexit negotiations, which Madrid used to try and wrestle back ownership. Sir Nick has previously hinted that his wife, born in Olmedo, central Spain, considers Gibraltar SpanishLady Clegg appeared on En Boca de Todos (In the Mouth of Everyone), a tabloid-style TV programme in Spain, on Tuesday to promote her party Asked by the interviewer: ‘Do you think Gibraltar is Spanish?’ she said: ‘Clearly yes.’Lady Clegg, who as a prominent feminist and high-flying international lawyer prefers to go by her maiden name of Miriam González Durántez, has launched a new Spanish liberal political party called Democracia21 which is to field candidates in Madrid and Barcelona.Spain’s premier Pedro Sánchez was forced into calling an early election this month for November 29 following humiliating defeats in the Spanish parliament on legislation aimed at addressing the country's housing crisis.Ms González Durántez appeared on En Boca de Todos (In the Mouth of Everyone), a tabloid-style TV programme, on Tuesday to promote her party.Asked by the interviewer: ‘Do you think Gibraltar is Spanish?’ she said: ‘Clearly yes.’She then added: ‘Why do you ask that question? Is it because you think we women think the same as our husbands do?’The interviewer, Nacho Abad, responded: ‘No, no, no; I´m just curious whether you argue…’At which point Ms González Durántez shot back: ‘We have our own independent minds, don’t we?’The interviewer goes on to ask: ‘Does your husband think Gibraltar is Spanish?’She replies: ‘That again? Well, let’s try not to talk about Gibraltar. He’ll defend his position, and I’ll defend mine.’But the comments sparked a backlash, with former Tory Brexit minister David Jones saying: ‘Nick Clegg is not, of course, responsible for his wife’s views, but he must surely have views of his own.‘Now is the time for him to confirm the factual position: that Gibraltar is as British as his former constituency, Sheffield Hallam, and will always remain so.’ London and Madrid have disputed control of Gibraltar since the tiny territory was ceded to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht Sir Nick has previously hinted that his wife, born in Olmedo, central Spain, considers Gibraltar Spanish Tory MP Mark Francois added: ‘As Lady Clegg is currently running for the Spanish Parliament, it seems only fair to remind her that the people of Gibraltar voted by 99 per cent in a free and fair Referendum to remain British.‘Spain is a NATO ally but that doesn’t mean they can get their hands on the Rock.’Sir Nick, who was handed a knighthood in 2018 for being deputy PM in the 2010-2015 Coalition government, has previously hinted that his wife, born in Olmedo, central Spain, considers Gibraltar Spanish.During an exchange with then Tory MP Andrew Rosindell in the Commons in 2010, the ex-Liberal Democrat leader joked that Gibraltar ‘is a sensitive topic’ in his family home.Sir Nick was present at the launch of his wife’s party on Saturday in Madrid when she outlined how she wanted to create a party which stood for transparency after a series of corruption scandals that have hit Spain’s Socialists and the conservative People’s Party.Sir Nick and his wife moved into a £7million mansion in California after he landed a role as the Vice-President of Global Affairs and Communications for Facebook in late 2018.But he announced his resignation from the Silicon Valley giant in January last year and the couple now split their time between Spain and London.Sir Nick’s office was contacted for comment and asked whether he believes Gibraltar is Spanish or British.