GSD MP Craig Sacarello acknowledged the treaty's inevitability, but said this didn't mean it could not be scrutinised. He said it not unreasonable for the public to conclude that a red line has shifted, and that if it has, government must say so plainly. Without a comprehensive impact assessment, he argued, parliament was being asked to endorse an agreement with no clear picture of its costs. He took aim at what he described as a pattern of delay and defensiveness, pointing out the length of time given to attacking the Principal Auditor's report and deflecting from the fallout from the McGrail Inquiry, and suggested delays could not now be blamed on other factors. Mr Sacarello ended with a note of solidarity, saying Gibraltar wanted the treaty to succeed, and therefore would take a leap of faith together.
