The UK objected to the EU calling the island of Gibraltar a "colony". An EU document about UK citizens travelling to the EU after Brexit says: "Gibraltar is a colony of the British Crown. There is a controversy…concerning the sovereignty over Gibraltar, a territory for which a solution has to be reached." The UK replied: "Gibraltar is not a colony and it is completely inappropriate to describe it in this way.…Gibraltar is…part of the UK.…This will not change."

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory next to Spain's coast. Over 30,000 people live there. In 1704, Britain captured it in a war. Spain gave it to the UK in 1713, but still claims the territory. It wants the EU to exclude Gibraltar from agreements with the UK. Gibraltar voted against a shared UK-Spanish sovereignty by 99% to 1% in 2002. Gibraltar said Spain was a bully. It said Spain's government was "making provocative statements in respect of Gibraltar".