Home Secretary presses EU leaders to provide clarity on position of British expats

The Home Secretary has pressed European leaders for details of arrangements for British expats seeking to remain in the European Union after Brexit.

Sajid Javid said it is “currently unclear” what systems member states are creating to ensure the rights of UK citizens in their countries are protected after the end of the implementation period in December 2020.

Mr Javid raised his concerns as he provided an update on the progress of the settlement scheme for EU nationals living in Britain.

In a letter to Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit Co- ordinator, Mr Javid wrote: “As you would expect, the UK government also cares very deeply about the reciprocal arrange - ments for UK nationals living in the EU27 member states.

“We are concerned that as yet we have seen little information about the practical arrangements for securing their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

“Is the European Parliament able to provide any reassurance about progress on equivalent arrangements for UK nationals?

“We are discussing this issue with the Commission and I would encourage you to press for similar assurances to protect UK nationals.”

Analysis published last year found that around 900,000 UK citizens were living in other EU countries.