No guarantees for UK expats in the EU if there’s no Brexit deal, May admits
Theresa May has said she doesn’t know what will happen to UK citizens living in the EU if Brexit negotiators fail to reach a deal.
The Prime Minister promised that the UK was “not going to be throwing EU citizens... out of the UK” if talks in Brussels break down, but said there was no plan to secure their rights in case of a no-deal Brexit, and warned 1.2 million Britons in Europe would be at the mercy of their host governments.
During a radio phone-in, Mrs May was also unable to say whether she would vote to leave the EU if another referendum were held now.
She told host Iain Dale on LBC: “I don’t answer hypothetical questions.”
Mrs May added: I’m Prime Minister ensuring I’m going to deliver Brexit for the British people... I could say I would still vote Remain or I would vote Leave just to give you an answer to that question.
“I am being open and honest with you. What I did last time round was I looked at everything and I came to a judgment and I would do exactly the same this time round.
“But we are not having another referendum.”
Mrs May warned that rights of more than three million EU nationals in the UK could “fall away” if a Brexit agreement is not sealed by March 2019.
And on the status of British nationals in Europe, Mrs May said: “We don’t know what would happen to them. The EU member states would have to consider what their approach would be to those UK citizens.
“By definition, if there isn’t a deal we won’t have been able to agree with the EU what happens to UK citizens currently living in countries like Spain and Italy and other members of the EU.” In Brussels, where the fifth round of negotiations is taking place, UK officials denied claims by EU counterparts that no talks will take place today because the British team is “unavailable”.
The row came as the president of the European Council all but ruled out a green light for the opening of talks on Britain’s future trade relationship when EU leaders meet next week. Donald Tusk said he does not expect the council to agree that ‘sufficient progress’ has been made until December at the earliest.
“We are negotiating in good faith, and we still hope that the so-called ‘sufficient progress’ will be possible by December,” Mr Tusk said. “However, if it turns out that the talks continue at a slow pace, and that ‘sufficient progress’ hasn’t been reached, then – together with our UK friends – we will have to think about where we are heading.”