STOP PLAYING HUMAN POKER
Plea for Brexit talks to secure rights of four million citizens
WORKERS’ leaders have teamed up with business chiefs to blast the “intolerable” uncertainty faced by 3.2million EU nationals living in the UK.
In a highly unusual move, the TUC and CBI yesterday issued a joint statement, saying Brexit “human poker” had also failed to reassure one million expats.
It came after chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said the latest round of talks between the two sides had been “constructive” but citizens’ rights remained the major “stumbling block”.
Dashing Theresa May’s bid to move on to trade talks next month, he added: “Further work is needed in the coming weeks and months.”
Union boss Frances O’Grady and industry chief Carolyn Fairbairn urged negotiators to guarantee rights.
They said: “After 15 months of human poker, the uncertainty facing four million European and UK citizens has become intolerable.
“Millions of workers and thousands of firms are today united in their call to leaders on both sides to find an urgent solution.
“A clear guarantee of the right to remain … is needed within weeks.”
Speaking in Brussels, Barnier said: “It will take weeks or even months where we will be able to say, ‘Yes, there has been sufficient progress.’” Brexit Secretary David Davis admitted enforcement of rights remained “a major question”. The UK opposes a role for the European Court of Justice. Barnier said more work is needed when talks resume on October 9, with the crunch EU Council showdown 10 days later. But Davis insisted: “We have made important progress but there remain some points where further discussion and pragmatism will be required to reach an agreement.”