Johnson cites Godfather in rejecting Spain's Gibraltar claims
As Theresa May visits Madrid, the Foreign Secretary quotes from the mafia film to signal his refusal to change Gibraltar's status.
Thursday 13 October 2016 14:51, UK
Boris Johnson has quoted from The Godfather as he said the UK will stand firm in the face of any Spanish claims over Gibraltar after Brexit.
The Foreign Secretary said the UK will maintain "a completely implacable, marmoreal and rocklike resistance" to any attempt to change the status of Gibraltar.
Then, in recalling how he had rejected pressure from Madrid to revisit the issue, he compared himself to movie mafia boss Don Vito Corleone dismissing a proposal from a fellow mobster.
"I remember the Spanish foreign minister raised it with me and ... you remember Marlon Brando in The Godfather when he said: 'Mr Barzini, I must tell you my answer is No,'" said Mr Johnson.
He was speaking before the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
The rocky headland on Spain's southern tip has long been the subject of a bitter row between London and Madrid, which wants to reclaim it.
Today Theresa May travelled to Madrid for a meeting with her Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy, on bilateral relations and Brexit.
After the EU referendum, Spain invited Britain to share sovereignty - a move that would allow the territory to remain in the European Union.
But Gibraltar's chief minister has rejected the proposal, saying the answer is "no way, Jose."