Gibraltarian and Spaniard hauled off easyJet flight by police after 'heated' Brexit row

Two easyJet passengers had to be hauled off their flight after reportedly getting into a row over the future of Gibraltar after Brexit.

The Gibraltarian and Spaniard launched into a "really heated argument" over the Rock as the plane approached Gatwick airport from Gibraltar, a fellow passenger said.

"The cabin crew were keeping them apart and trying to stop from getting at each other," the witness told The Sun.

"It was very unnerving and things only calmed down as we got ready to land at Gatwick but even when we arrived police came onto the plane."

Officers met the plane as it landed at 1.30pm on Tuesday (4 April).

The witness said the flight had been "quiet" until about 15 minutes before it was due to land. "All of a sudden we heard this lady start shouting at the people who were behind her," they said. "The lady was with a man, both from Gibraltar.

"They were shouting at this group of Spanish that were behind them, there were about seven or eight of them. She was saying 'I've had enough'. She started swearing, saying 'you Spanish are all the time provoking me'. I didn't actually hear the Spanish answer or anything back to her, but she basically had an outburst.

"She kept going at them 'you're insulting us, even though I'm Spanish-born, I'm from Gibraltar, you've been provoking us all afternoon'."

It comes as tensions between Spain and the UK have escalated over the future of Gibraltar's sovereignty after the territory was dragged into Brexit negotiations.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: "Police were informed at 12.55pm on Tuesday of disruptive passengers onboard an easyJet flight from Gibraltar.

"Officers boarded when the plane landed at Gatwick at 1.30pm. Two people were taken from the flight and given words of advice about their behaviour."

In a statement, a spokesperson for easyJet said two people were met by police at the runway after "behaving disruptively".