Below follows a copy of the Chief Minister’s New Year Message broadcasted on GBC yesterday evening:

My dear fellow Gibraltarians, 

As we speak tonight, I am acutely conscious that we are all returning to the rhythm of our daily lives  in the midst of a cold snap. 

The transition from the family warmth of Christmas to the discipline of work has felt particularly  stark this week.  

But none of that dampens the heat of my passion to deliver for you in Government.  So tonight, I want to look forward with you to the year ahead.  

As I do so, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude.  

And not just the gratitude of a political leader for the mandate you gave me two years ago.  

But real, human, gratitude for the support I felt from so many of you when I faced a medical  emergency.  

In those uncertain moments, you realize what truly matters.  

And in that temporary vulnerability, I felt something extraordinary that will stay with me forever.  I felt the warmth of this Community.  

I felt it wrap around me like never before.  

It was a reminder, at a personally difficult moment, of what really matters. 

That beneath the debates and the disagreements, the blood that binds us is thicker than the ink of  any passing press release. 

I felt that same warmth again, just before Christmas, following the delayed publication of the  Inquiry Report.  

I genuinely did not expect the huge number of you who reached out to give me support.  To encourage me to continue my work as Chief Minister.

I sincerely appreciated that.  

Now, I know the rough and tumble of public life. 

I knew there were some who were going to be prematurely dancing on my political grave.  I knew their names before they started their well-rehearsed choreography.  But the arguments of six years ago are ancient history in the timeline of our fast-moving world. And you, the people of Gibraltar, see through the fog. 

All of you who reached out to me were clear.  

You understood that we must not let the rearview mirror distract us from the road ahead.  You recognized that leadership is not just about enduring the storm of criticism. Although it is about that too.  

It is about navigating our homeland through each storm as it appears. 

Rest assured, I heard you.  

And I know what I must do. 

Leadership is not a claim to perfection. 

It is a commitment to responsibility. 

I have never pretended to be infallible. 

I know that I make mistakes every day, because I am human. 

Because, beyond the warmth of your support, I have also listened with humility to the criticisms levelled at me in the Report. 

Of course, I made mistakes in 2020. 

I have made them before and since. 

In every year I have been in office. 

But while I may not be infallible, I have always been honest. 

I have always been genuine.

And I am heartened that the Inquiry Report has found exactly that. 

It confirmed that I was honest and genuine in my belief that I had been lied to by the former Commissioner. 

Now, on the Inquiry, the time for delivery has arrived. 

I am setting a clear deadline. 

The recommendations ofthe Reportthat relate to the Government will be implemented within the next 100 days. 

Two have already been implemented by the Chief Secretary.  

Furthermore, in the Steering Group which I jointly chair with His Excellency the Governor, we are working to ensure that recommendations concerning the Police are in place before the summer. 

As we start 2026, I know that you do not want your Chief Minister bogged down by the desperate attempts of political opponents to keep us trapped in the year 2020. 

We must look forward. 

So, let me be clear:  

I will not allow these battles to distract me from the complex challenges you elected me to navigate  for us all.  

Because we have reached a really pivotal moment in our history. 

For years, we have talked about our post-Brexit reality.  

We have debated it.  

We have worried about it. 

And we have now finally concluded the negotiation stage of our UK/EU Treaty. But our journey together is not yet over.  

We must now complete the process of ratification of the Treaty. 

And then we must deliver effective implementation of the Treaty. 

That is the final mile.  

And only then will my work for you be complete.

As we start this complex ratification process, let us remind ourselves of one thing in particular: In the age of the smartphone, the loudest voices often belong to the emptiest vessels. Social media has created a vacuum where noise masquerades as news.  

We all enjoy the freedom to say what we think.  

But I know you realize—because you are sensible people—that some of the things you read on social  media are just plain dumb. 

We have reached a point where unqualified people opine on complex, professional issues with the  confidence of experts.  

We see individuals presenting one-sided claims as absolute fact to criticize the GHA or other  Government Departments. 

Yet, when we pull back the curtain, in most instances, the most scandalous claims are completely  untrue.  

They are fictions designed to generate either sympathy, likes or clicks, but not solutions. The reality—the truth that doesn't go viral—is that we live in a nation that provides more than most.  We have a safety net that is the envy of our neighbours.  

Our health service, our education system, our community care—these are triumphs of our collective  effort. 

And still, some complain bitterly.  

Some want more and more, without pausing to ask where it will come from. Well, the time has come to appreciate what we have.  

The time has come to stop asking what more Gibraltar can give you. 

And the time has come to start valuing what Gibraltar has already generously provided. We must also be realistic about the economic tides we face. 

And this brings me to a hard truth.  

Entitlement to services must change.  

I told you this last year.

But I will tell you again tonight.  

We cannot assume that the tap will always flow without limit.  

That anyone can just turn up and have a right to live on our precious but small geography. 

Whether it is residence, housing or healthcare, we must have a sustainable approach to aspects of  life on our Rock.  

We must be responsible.  

We must build a system that protects the vulnerable. 

Not further burden a system to further subsidize the already very comfortable. And we must protect what we have for our children to have this and more.  So, I am not here tonight to offer mere platitudes for the year ahead.  

I am here to tell you that I am concentrating every ounce of my energy on the delivery of the  commitments I made to you.  

That means continuing the work to put the keys in the doors of 3,000 more new homes.  To end the housing problems that afflict some of our people. 

Continuing the legacy of ensuring that the basic dignity of a roof over one's head is a reality for  every Gibraltarian family. 

It means the steady, serious work of addressing the complex issues that have arisen regarding  gaming duty. 

Protecting the industry that remains a cornerstone of our prosperity.  

It means working to deliver the data centre that can further transform Gibraltar economically. 

It means looking to the horizon—literally and figuratively—as we develop our new cruise liner  terminal, cementing our status as a world-class maritime hub.  

And it means ensuring that our progress is felt in the small, precious moments of life, by completing  new facilities for our community at Western Beach. 

This will allow residents and tourists alike to enjoy the natural beauty of our home even more. These are not just projects in the air.

They are the building blocks of our future.  

We have work to do to make sure we make them a reality. 

And we have no time to waste. 

That is why, whilst others are looking down at the Inquiry Report, we are looking up to find the  opportunities for the future.  

One of the things I have been working very hard on in the background is the establishment of a  sovereign wealth fund to secure our nation’s public finances.  

We are now working with a major UK Institution to create a structure that will produce substantial  financial returns for Gibraltar in the short, medium and long term. 

It will produce income for Gibraltar over the next thirty years. 

The asset classes involved are long term property investments in the UK.  

These structures require no upfront funding from the taxpayer, but will produce returns that will  be retained in a sovereign wealth vehicle for our nation.  

I will provide much more detail on this in a detailed Statement in Parliament in coming months so  that you understand all aspects of these structures.  

I will also provide the projections of income that will demonstrate that the work we are doing is  designed to produce massive short, medium and long term benefits for our people. 

This is work that I know you will greatly value.  

It is work that will greatly enhance our common wealth as a people.  

And work that is the fruit of cooperation with international partners.  

I know this is the type of opportunity that you want me to concentrate on for our People.  Making literally hundreds of millions of pounds for future generations of Gibraltarians.  Not money to waste. 

Money to save.  

To strengthen our public finances like never before.  

To bolster our ‘rainy day funds’ for the storms that may batter future generations. 

That is work I am particularly concentrating on to maximise value for all of our children. My dear fellow Gibraltarians, 

2026 presents us with less harsh challenges than the years before. 

But with more hope than we have seen in a decade. 

That is the fruit of the work your Government has done and is doing.  

That is what occupies our days.  

But we must remain vigilant.  

We must remain alert. 

We must remain ready to address the challenge of a fall in public revenues.  We must not be complacent.  

We must be agile, creative, but disciplined. 

We must remain ready to defend our reputation against those who would tarnish it for their  personal gain. 

We must be ready to ratify a treaty that secures our future for generations to come. I am ready to continue to lead that work. 

I am ready to finish the job that you gave me. 

And, when that work is done, I am ready to do something else. 

I am ready to pass the baton to a new socialist leader. 

That day is now closer than ever.  

This is the beginning of my last full year as your Chief Minister. 

And that fact makes the work I still have to do more important than ever.  

Because I have a contract with you, the People.  

I have commitments to deliver.  

And time is running short.

I will not leave this office with a list of things I hoped to do. 

I will leave it with a legacy of things we did together. 

So, let us go the final distance together.  

Let us finish our work together.  

Let us – together - secure our children’s political and economic future. 

That is what really matters in the year 2026. 

And so, on behalf of my fiancée Anna, and our children Sebastian, Oliver, Valentina, and Olivia, I wish you all a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. 

Goodnight, my dear Gibraltar. 

See you tomorrow.