Rights of citizens

Mrs May has been accused of taking hostages for declining to give EU citizens in the UK a unilateral guarantee on continued residence.

I’ve heard no such comment on European leaders regarding their failure to offer UK citizens in Europe an equivalent guarantee, but then whose role would it be to criticise them?

The Prime Minister has suggested letting around three million EU citizens stay in the UK as a quid pro quo for just under 1.2 million Britons being allowed to remain in Europe.

This has been described as inadequate, which very clearly it is. A fair deal achieving reciprocity would maintain open access and freedom of movement into the EU for migrants from Britain until such time as the current 1.2 million figure for British settlers reaches three million.

Some adjustment to those figures will be needed to allow for future demographic impact. For example, a significant proportion of Brits living on the continent are retirees who have passed their best reproductive years, whereas those coming here tend to be in their prime.

JOHN RISELEY Harcourt Drive, Harrogate