Fabian Picardo

Fabian Raymond Picardo (born 18 February 1972) is a Gibraltarian politician and barrister, serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party since 2011. At the 2015 and 2019 Gibraltar general elections, Picardo was re-elected to two further four-year terms. He was narrowly re-elected for a fourth term in the 2023 Gibraltar general election.

Picardo attended the University of Oxford, where he studied jurisprudence. Picardo's grandmother was Spanish, although he has said that the Picardo line came to Gibraltar during the Napoleonic Wars and that he's "particularly proud of that part of [his] bloodline." His studies were supported by the grant system introduced by Joe Bossano's Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party government in 1988. and Picardo has also spoken at Oriel Law Society since his election. Picardo then studied at the Inns of Court School of Gray's Inn and was called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1994.

Legal career

In September 1994, Picardo joined Hassans, the largest law firm in Gibraltar, as an associate. He became a partner in 2000. He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel on 12 June 2014.

Political career

Picardo was a co-founder of the Gibraltar National Party in 1991, the predecessor to the Liberal Party of Gibraltar. In 2003, he joined the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) and was elected as a member of parliament (MP) for the GSLP in that year's general election. Picardo meets with Minister for Europe David Lidington in London on 2 December 2015. Picardo has described what made him interested in politics as a lawyer in Gibraltar: "I started to wake up to politics and see what Hassan had done, and I started to understand what Joe Bossano was doing. I realised that if I had the ability to become a lawyer then I should use that ability also in the interests of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a place where all of us have to pull our weight; we all have to do what we can and I wanted to do what I could in politics." Picardo became the leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party in 2011, taking over from Joe Bossano. He won the 2011 election, forming a coalition government with the Liberal Party. In October 2015, he said that if Brexit took place, Gibraltar "would have to carefully reconsider what the economic prospects for Gibraltar are and how we would be positioned."

During the election campaign, Picardo stated that the 2023 election would be his last, and he planned to step down as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party at some point during the 14th Parliament of Gibraltar. He also took the opportunity to suggest he would be in favour of Health Minister Gemma Arias Vasquez replacing him in both positions but noted that the party would ultimately select who succeeded him.

However, on 5 November 2024, he announced he would remain as Party Leader for the next general election, subject to an uncontested AGM the week after.

In June 2026, Picardo defended against accusations of betraying British sovereignty by inviting Spanish border control to oversee entry to Gibraltar. According to a new Gibraltar-EU treaty, freedom of movement is to be restored between Gibraltar and Spain on land. Arrivals by air and sea will be subject to the usual checks by Gibraltarian officers followed by Schengen border control. In practice, British citizens entering Gibraltar needs to seek Spanish permission; they could be refused entry into a British overseas territory by non-British authorities.

McGrail Inquiry

In November 2025, the report of the McGrail Inquiry, chaired by retired UK High Court Judge Sir Peter Openshaw, was published examining the circumstances surrounding the early retirement of Police Commissioner Ian McGrail in June 2020.

The inquiry found that Picardo's summoning of McGrail to his office on 12 May 2020, following a police search warrant being executed at Hassans law firm targeting senior partner James Levy, was "a grossly improper attempt to interfere in a legitimate police investigation". Picardo stated the report "completely exonerates" the government, while acknowledging some criticisms were "sharp and highly critical" and indicating he was considering legal challenges to certain findings.

Personal life

Picardo was married to Justine Olivero from 2011 until they separated in 2023 (before 2011 and 2023 elections respectively). She also works for Hassans law firm, and together they had two sons and one daughter, Sebastian, Oliver and Valentina. He is now currently dating Anna Kaba, local interior designer, wedding planner and psychology student.