Yes.

The Final Countdown.

The Final Countdown has begun for me my friends.

But I will always be here with you on National Day.

At Casemates.

Because you look GREAT in RED & WHITE Gibraltar.

These are our colours.

These are our people.

And this is our day.

And it is the day of all Gibraltarians.

Whether you are here or unable to be here.

I want to remember today our elderly at Mount Alvernia and our sick at the Hospital or at Calpe House in London.

Those who cannot leave their homes.

Those studying in the UK and around the world.

Those working and living around the world.

Those working in Gibraltar today so we can enjoy our celebrations.

We remember you here today.

Because, today, all our spirits are at Casemates!

You are not just watching National Day.

You are National Day.

Wherever you are, you are here today.

Every year for fifteen years I have walked up those steps.

I have looked you in this square.

And whatever had happened that year.

Whatever they had thrown at us in Madrid, or in Brussels, or in London.

You have put it right.

Now we are here to remember and commemorate something.

Fifty-nine years ago today, our parents and grandparents voted.

In a referendum.

They did not vote in comfort.

They voted with a threatening, disgusting dictator across the frontier.

They voted knowing that the telephone lines would be cut.

That the frontier would close.

That their families would be cut in half by an iron fence.

They did not vote for an easy life.

They voted for the right to decide their own life.

They stood up to Franco.

That is the Gibraltar we have been born into.

That is who every Gibraltarian has been raised to be.

So understand what this day is.

It is a celebration.

That our grandparents voted for our freedom.

That our parents defended it.

And that our children will inherit it.

Nobody in this square has to earn the right to be a British Gibraltarian.

That right was earned for us in 1704 and in 1967.

Our job — my job, your job, the job of the next Chief Minister and the one after that — is to keep that right intact.

To defend that right forever.

To protect that right with our lives.

In 2011, there was no offical rally at Casemates.

I inisted on its return in 2012.

Now there is a new respect for National Day.

Our flag now flies over the Foreign Office – a place where National Day was detested – and it is now respected.

And this morning, as is NOW the tradition since 2012, I received two letters.

The first was delivered to me by His Excellency the Governor, Sir Ben, who is here with us today, and it comes from His Majesty Our King.

I am going to read it to you in full, because it was written for you.

"As the people of Gibraltar mark the occasion of their National Day, my wife and I take this opportunity to extend our sincere congratulations to your Chief Minister and to all those who call Gibraltar home.

I have a very special affection for the Overseas Territories, and I greatly value the unique character, traditions and contributions of each Territory within our wider British family. The strength and steadfastness of your community, your pride in our shared heritage and your commitment to progress are all qualities I deeply admire.

This year's celebrations come at a particularly significant moment in Gibraltar's history, following the signing of the Treaty between the United Kingdom and the European Union in respect of Gibraltar. This historic milestone opens a new chapter for the Territory, and I am confident that Gibraltarians will embrace the opportunities it brings while continuing to cherish the close bonds that unite Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.

As Gibraltar looks to the future, I am heartened by the commitment shown to environmental stewardship and sustainable development. The new arrangements offer important opportunities for greater environmental cooperation, helping to safeguard the rich natural heritage of the Rock and its surrounding waters for generations to come. I am particularly encouraged by the efforts of local organisations and volunteers to protect Gibraltar's coastline, including through their support for the Royal Commonwealth Society's Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign.

My wife and I trust that the coming year will bring continued progress and wellbeing to the community of Gibraltar.

Charles R."

Our King.

Always with our full support.

Never by imposition.

God save the King.

The second letter arrived from 10 Downing Street.

It is from the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.

"I am delighted to send my best wishes to you and to all Gibraltarians as you celebrate National Day. This year's National Day comes at a moment of profound significance for Gibraltar. You are entering a new chapter in your history following the signing and provisional application of the Treaty between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The successful conclusion of this agreement marks the culmination of many years of determined effort and opens the way to greater certainty and opportunity for Gibraltar's people and businesses.

While much is changing, one thing remains constant: Gibraltar's place as a cherished part of the British family.

That, of course, is what 10 September is all about. Gibraltarians have consistently demonstrated their pride in being British, and the Government remains unwavering in its commitment to Gibraltar, to British sovereignty and to the principle of self-determination. As ever, our approach is guided by the principle that there should be "nothing about Gibraltar without Gibraltar", while recognising the United Kingdom's constitutional responsibilities.

...

I have every confidence that the years ahead will bring further success, prosperity and opportunity for Gibraltar and its people.

I wish you and all the people of Gibraltar a very happy National Day.

With best wishes, Andy Burnham."

"Nothing about Gibraltar without Gibraltar."

Prime Minister — thank you.

Those five words are the whole story of the last fifteen years.

Self determination in a nutshell!

And I promise you this: nobody on this Rock will ever let a British Government forget them.

Let me take you back.

In 2016, ninety-six per cent of us voted to remain in the European Union.

We lost.

It was not our decision to leave.

But it became our problem.

And that problem consumed a decade of your Government's time.

Every year I stood on this stage and I made you the same promise.

You know the words.

You have heard them from me so many times you could say them with me.

Not one grain of our land.

Not one drop of our water.

Not one breath of our air.

I GUARANTEED we would not bring back a deal unless it was safe.

Unless it was secure.

Unless it was beneficial for Gibraltar.

I said the price of fluidity at that frontier would never — never — be paid in sovereignty.

There were people who said it could not be done.

They were wrong.

On the fourteenth of July this year, the Treaty was signed.

On the fifteenth of July, it began to apply.

It delivers fluidity at our frontier.

It delivers legal certainty for our economy.

And it does so without a single concession on our exclusively British sovereignty.

Not one.

Not a small one.

Not a technical one.

Not a hidden one.

Not one.

Because we said we never would.

And we never did.

Because the Treaty is about how we live alongside our neighbours.

It was never about whose neighbours we are.

Because we remain, 100% British.

British.

British.

British.

As our parents and grandparents chose to be.

As we have chosen to be.

As our children will be free to be.

But I did not do this.

WE did this together.

You gave us the strength for the negotiation.

You gave us the arguments to keep going.

You gave us the steel to do the deal.

I want to thank, from this stage, the people who sat in those rooms with me.

My dear Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, who was there in every one of them.

Our Attorney General, Michael Llamas KC, who read every line so that nothing could be hidden in one.

The negotiating team who gave years of their lives to this.

Sir Joe Bossano, who taught me — who taught all of us — what self-determination actually costs and what it is actually worth.

And the Self-Determination for Gibraltar Group, Richard Buttigieg and Forti Azopardi and every volunteer who makes this day happen for love of Gibraltar and for nothing else.

And to the Members of the United Kingdom Parliament who are with us today, and to those who have stood with us across the years:

Thank you.

You are the ones who have never let us down.

I have led this nation for fifteen years.

I have stood on this stage in the good years and in the very hard ones.

Every year I have looked out at this square.

And every year I have remembered why representing you is such an honour.

Next month I will travel to New York and address the Fourth Committee of the United Nations for the very last time as Chief Minister.

And I will make the case for Gibraltar as forcefully as ever.

Because that work is not finished.

We are still on that list.

And we must keep making that argument, every year, until Gibraltar is finally taken off it.

Next year and in years to come there will be another Chief Minister.

They will walk up those steps on the tenth of September.

They will look out at this square.

And each of them will say that this is OUR HOME.

THAT THIS IS OUR LAND.

AND THAT NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE IT FROM US.

Because Chief Ministers are temporary.

It is the red and white people of the Rock that are permanent.

We have outlasted sieges.

We have outlasted dictators.

We have outlasted closed frontiers.

TOGETHER we will outlast whatever comes next.

So look up at that Rock.

That is your backbone.

Because the Rock of Gibraltar belongs to no one — no one — but us.

The people of Gibraltar.

And to anyone, anywhere, who still thinks our people can be bought, or bullied, or worn down, or waited out, I have a very simple message.

Nothing — nothing — is going to stop us now.

No one is going to stop THE PEOPLE OF THE ROCK.

Red, white and blue!

Red, white and proud!

Red, white and free!

I love you Gibraltar.