The Royal Navy chased a Spanish ship away from UK waters off the coast of Gibraltar

LONDON 'A Spanish ship has illegally entered Gibraltar's territorial waters, the government has said.The news comes amid increasing tensions between the UK and Spain over the sovereignty of the rock.Those tensions came to a head over the weekend when former minister Michael Howard suggested that Theresa May could go to war to protect the strategic enclave, a threat the prime minister did not immediately deny. Her spokesperson has since played down those comments.Spain told Britain to calm down over threats, suggesting the government had lost its composure.A spokeswoman for the government of Gibraltar told the Press Association: "The ship entered British/Gibraltarian territorial waters. It was met by the Gibraltar Squadron and invited to leave." The spokeswoman couldn't say whether Gibraltar would make a formal protest over the incident.The future ofGibraltar is the first major dispute of the negotiations over Britain's exit from the EU, which began when Article 50 was triggered last week.Tensions flared when Gibraltar featured in a document outlining the plans for those negotiations, which suggested that Spain would be given a veto over any agreements that cover the British territory.@TheSun @TelegraphNews @DailyMirror @Daily_Express Spanish Navy sends patrol boat Infanta Cristina P77 into Gib waters this afternoon pic.twitter.com/gTc5Oi3mtN' David Parody (@dparody) April 4, 2017Illegal incursion into #British #Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish Navy patrol ship Infanta Cristina this afternoon. #BGTW pic.twitter.com/IkYadi8XNn' HM Govt of Gibraltar (@GibraltarGov) April 4, 2017This is a developing story...Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Donald Tusk to UK: 'we already miss you
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