EU citizens jailed for more than a year face deportation

EU CITIZENS will face much tougher new deportation laws if they commit crimes in the UK after Brexit, the Government has warned.

Those who are sentenced to more than a year in jail will face deportation, according to a Brexit technical paper released yesterday.

The tough line emerged before a fresh round of talks opens in Brussels tomorrow and comes despite objections from European negotiators, who want the 3.2million EU citizens in Britain to retain their current rights.

EU citizens currently face a much laxer test than other foreign nationals in the UK, with the Government required demonstrate that criminals pose a “serious threat to the fundamental interests of society” before they can be deported.

UK officials say EU citizens given permanent settled status in Britain must not become a “privileged caste” who enjoy better rights than UK or other foreign nationals.

On the subject of registering EU citizens in Britain, the paper says the current system is “not fit” to deal with the volume of applications expected before and after Brexit, and promises to create new system “from scratch” that recognises the scale of the challenge.

“The UK is designing a streamlined, user-friendly, digital application process,” the paper says.