DELIGHT AS SPAIN BACKS RIGHTS FOR EX-PATS
SIGNALS that Spain will be an ally for Theresa May in her quest to protect the rights of British ex-pats on the Continent after Brexit were welcomed yesterday.
Madrid’s chief Brexit negotiator said Spain “in principle” backs a deal that as fully as possible preserves rights including access to health care and freedom of movement for both ex-pats and EU citizens living in the UK.
The Prime Minister says she wants to offer certainty to the three million EU citizens living in Britain but has resisted calls to offer a unilateral guarantee.
About 1.2 million Britons live in other EU states and the issue will be a priority once formal Brexit negotiations begin.
MPs and ex-pats welcomed the comments by Spain’s EU minister Jorge Toledo.
Tory MP Michael Tomlinson, deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, said: “I am delighted to see that a reciprocal deal is supported in principle in Spain.
“This vindicates what the Prime Minister has been saying and should act as a timely reminder to others that reciprocal rights should be resolved early.”
Sir Greg Knight, secretary of the British-Spanish All-Party Parliamentary Group, said: “These comments from Spain indicate that Theresa May’s strategy is the right one.”
Relations between the nations are “as strong as ever”, he added.
Sue Wilson, of Bremain in Spain which represents ex-Pats on the Costa Blanca, said: “It is good to know that on this side of the negotiating table at least our fears and concerns are being taken seriously.”