Gibraltar could be forced to leave EU because of referendum, MP warns I am not sure where that would leave Gibraltar. It is only included within the European Union by virtue of the UK's membership of the European Union. We could have this bizarre situation where Gibraltar has voted to remain in the European Union, the rest of the UK has voted to leave and so we have the prospect of us in effect having gone to the effort of passing this amendment, of giving Gibraltarians their say, of being able to express their own view on their own destiny, and then expelling them from the European Union against their wishes. It leaves a huge unanswered question, which on the face offers a very clear scenario in which the voters of the United Kingdom expel Gibraltarians from the European Union against their wishes. David Lidington, the Foreign Office Minister, said that he supported Mr Wharton's amendment to give Gibraltarians a vote in any referendum. He said he had spoken to the Gibraltar government and had taken advice and was confident the amendment would properly enfranchise the inhabitants of the Rock. Mr Lidington said: " I have consulted the Chief Minister of Gibraltar about the wishes of his government. He has advised me that it is his wish and that of Her Majesty's government of Gibraltar that in respect of this proposed referendum the franchise should be extended to the citizens of Gibraltar. Having taken advice I'm confident that the wording of Mr Wharton's amendment would give proper effect to that wish by enfranchising Gibraltarians. Andrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford, said that Gibraltar's 2,000 inhabitants would now be able to "choose their own destiny" like the rest of the UK. Mr Rosindell said: "The people of Gibraltar would vote in a referendum just like anybody else in the United Kingdom, just as the people of Essex would if they chose to stay in the European Union - I am not sure that is going to happen. If that were to be the case, it would make no difference, we are treating it as one country in terms of the European Union. Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, said that Gibraltar had initially been overlooked. He said: "[This] should have been taken seriously because it will totally change the nature of Europe and our role in Europe. That is why that, as a private member's bill, I think it is unseemly and furtive and not what a great parliamentary democracy should have tried to use... to bring this forward. Until we discussed this in committee, the Government seemed to be unaware that Gibraltar had this special status and had a vote in the Euro elections. But we did make the Government aware of the status of Gibraltar.