Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A shipwreck near Gibraltar, believed to be carrying £5.5 billion in gold, has prompted calls for Britain to claim 12 nautical miles around the Rock.
Leaked diplomatic papers from the 2000s have revealed that Britain abandoned plans to salvage HMS Sussex, which sank in the 17th Century, so as not to upset Spain.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the wreck site lies in international waters just east of Gibraltar.
Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Sir David Davis told the paper that Britain should finally exercise its rights under international law to “extend the territory” and allow the recovery operation to go ahead.
In answer to GBC questions, the Chief Minister said: “We have long called on the UK to claim the 12 nautical miles.”
A shipwreck near Gibraltar, believed to be carrying £5.5 billion in gold, has prompted calls for Britain to claim 12 nautical miles around the Rock.
Leaked diplomatic papers from the 2000s have revealed that Britain abandoned plans to salvage HMS Sussex, which sank in the 17th Century, so as not to upset Spain.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the wreck site lies in international waters just east of Gibraltar.
Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Sir David Davis told the paper that Britain should finally exercise its rights under international law to “extend the territory” and allow the recovery operation to go ahead.
In answer to GBC questions, the Chief Minister said: “We have long called on the UK to claim the 12 nautical miles.”
