Royal Navy submarine docks in Gibraltar after bombshell comments by Spanish minister

A British attack submarine has docked in , days after a Spanish minister. Nuclear-powered HMS Astute arrived in - where vessels regularly visit to restock and resupply - on Sunday, according to local reports.

People took to social media to share photos of the highly capable Astute-class boat arriving. It comes days after Spain's foreign minister re-opened the contentious debate over 's sovereignty as he suggested a - defence deal could depend on resolving the issue of 's border. Speaking to Newsnight, José Manuel Albares said the status of the Rock is "not resolved yet".

He said he wants to "solve the issue of in order to have a full European Union-UK relationship".

"I think the relationship between UK and European Union, it's a comprehensive relation, a global relation, not just a pick-and-choose relation. Because there are many, many things that we have to talk (about), included," he added.

"So I would like to see a global deal on everything to make sure that the relationship is as smooth as possible."

Madrid continues to claim sovereignty over which was ceded to the by in 1713 .

Its population is heavily in favour of remaining as a British Overseas Territory, with Gibraltarians also being British citizens.

The comments by Mr Albares sparked backlash from British politicians, including Shadow Foreign Secretary who accused the Government of being seen as "weak".

She said: "Given that whenever Labour negotiates, Britain loses, it's no wonder Spain sees this weak government as an opportunity."

" is British, end of, and we will remind the government exactly where the sovereignty of Gibraltar lies."

The Government has said will "always remain part of the British family", but it had "inherited a situation" that "left 's economy and way of life under threat".

While the Government said it will not agree to a deal that gives sovereignty over to another country, or that the Gibraltarian government is not content with, a number of issues remain unresolved.

This includes what role Spanish officials could have in immigration checks for people entering Gibraltar and the status of the Rock's airport, which is also home to an RAF base.

In the past, the arrival of submarines in has been .

In February, Verdemar-Ecologistas en Acción said: "We continue to maintain our protest against the arrival of these submarines that sail with a nuclear reactor and put the Strait of and those who live in this area at risk."

HMS Astute is the first of her class and the lead boat in the 's fleet of attack submarines.

The Astute-class are the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the .