The group began meeting around 1965, and even though they had differences of opinion, the consensus was that they should work in Gibraltar's best interests, which was then threatened by the economic blockade imposed by the government of Spanish dictator General Franco.
[3] The idea, however, had to be postponed, following Sir Joshua Hassan's victory at the 1972 general elections and in 1974 Poggio lost control of the Gibraltar Group to Michael Mifsud, only regaining chairmanship in 1977.
However, in late February 2012, Poggio announced that he was "back in full control" of the representative office in London, Canessa being solely responsible for the House's management.
[7] Due to his political contacts, Poggio had always gained "research assistant" passes that have allowed him free access to the UK House of Commons and its dependencies.
"[9] The Panorama noted that Poggio was never a "High Commissioner" and the title of "His Excellency" in Gibraltar is exclusively reserved for the Governor – a position superior to that of Chief Minister.
In March 2015, Poggio was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Honouree for strengthening political and business ties for Gibraltarians and British citizens alike over the last 20 years.