Westminster “playing games” with people’s lives

BRITISH politicians must stop playing games with people’s lives over Brexit and understand the needs of expats, claim campaigners.

Margaret Hales MBE, the spokeswoman for expat group ECREU in Spain, has hit out at the Department for Exiting the European Union, after raising doubts over citizens’ rights and the transition period with DExEU.

The group, Expat Citizen Rights in the

EU, is part of the British in Europe coalition, and Margaret believes the government has ignored pleas for cross-border movement to be included in negotiations that resulted in the Withdrawal Agreement.

She is hoping her MP for Milton Keynes South; Iain Stewart will raise the issue on her behalf with the government.

“We were promised that those of us who lived in the EU before Brexit would have the same rights as before; the DExEU letter basically says we will not,” said Margaret, who lives on the Costa Blanca.

“That crucial issue, freedom of movement, has been ditched as a sop to the popularism in the UK. Over the past two years British people in Europe have asked time and again for this right to be restored – that is the only way we can continue to make our living and support our families. The DExEU does not seem to understand that in any of its correspondence.”

And Margaret added: “It is time that the politician ditched playing games with people’s lives and remembered their responsibility to the electorate...an electorate that, but the way, now sees through the lies and deceit and has changed its mind.”

Safeguard

In the letter to Margaret, the DExEU ‘correspondence team’ said: “From the very beginning, the Prime Minister has been clear that safeguarding the rights of UK nationals living in the EU, as well as EU citizens living in the UK, was her first priority for the negotiations. This is a commitment we have delivered.

“The agreement reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text will enable families who have built their lives together in the EU to stay together.

“It will allow UK nationals in the EU to continue living their lives broadly as they do now in their host states. It will therefore provide people with more certainty about residence, healthcare, pensions, and other benefits.”

It said under the terms there was an implementation period – also known as a transition period – that would run from March 30, Brexit is scheduled for March 29, until December 31, 2020.

The department said this would protect all UK citizens legally resident in the EU and allow British nationals to move to another member state during this period.

“There are a few outstanding issues which we know are important to UK nationals, including onward movement. We were disappointed not to secure those rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, and will continue to raise these issues in future negotiations,” said DExEU.

“Looking forward, we are committed to securing the best deal possible for the British people, both those who live in the EU and the UK.”

Campaigners want at the very least for rights already included in the Withdrawal Agreement to be ring-fenced – the deal is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Commons next week -

Freedom of movement victim of ‘popularism’