May’s letter to 3m EU citizens: You can stay in the UK

THREE million EU citizens living in the UK ‘will be able to stay’ regardless of the outcome of Brexit talks, Theresa May said last night. In an open letter, the Prime Minister reassured EU citizens already in the country legally that they face no threat of expulsion after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019. Mrs May has been stung by claims she is using the rights of EU citizens as ‘bargaining chips’ – but last night insisted: ‘Nothing could have been further from the truth.’ Ministers are keen to offer reassurance that people’s lives will not be uprooted by the success or failure of the Brexit talks. Mrs May said she was ‘putting people first’ in the negotiations. Privately, ministers believe Brussels is dragging its feet on the issue in a bid to extract a bigger divorce bill out of Britain. The Prime Minister said: ‘EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK have made a huge contribution to our country. And we want them and their families to stay. I couldn’t be clearer – EU citizens living lawfully in the UK today will be able to stay.’

In a goodwill gesture, she said she was aiming for a deal that would allow the UK to drop the current requirement for EU citizens to show they have comprehensive sickness insurance.

Mrs May also used the letter to stress that the process for EU nationals wanting to register their intention to stay will be made as simple and ‘streamlined’ as possible.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has already dismissed claims that EU nationals will have to be fingerprinted as part of the process of applying for a new ‘settled status’.

Government sources said the cost of the process would be kept ‘as low as possible’. EU citizens will be invited to sit on a ‘user group’ designed to ensure their voices are heard by ministers drawing up the registration system.

Mrs May’s message was posted on her Facebook page and sent to 100,000 EU nationals who have contacted the Home Office about the issue.

Government sources said the exact rights of the three million EU nationals will depend on the outcome of Brexit negotiations.

A senior British official said the UK and EU were ‘within touching distance’ of a deal on the issue, though it is unlikely to be finalised until wider negotiations are concluded in 12 months’ time. The uncertainty stems from the Government’s determination to secure reciprocal rights for the 1.2million Britons living in the EU.