Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
More support for EU citizens
What excellent letters last week, especially those highlighting the inflexible and unrepresentative decisions that are being taken in our name.
On Monday, March 13, Parliament debated the Notification of Withdrawal (Article 50) Bill, including “Lords amendment 1 seeks to require the government to act unilaterally to bring forward plans within three months to secure the status of European Union and European economic area citizens and their family members living in the United Kingdom.”
Our MP, Sir Julian Brazier, voted against this amendment, despite having been reported in the Gazette on March 2, as saying that he: “is assuring EU nationals that there will no immediate change to their status in the UK”.
Although the government may want to resolve the status of such citizens as early as it can, without the urgency of a timescale, such negotiations are likely to be put on the back burner.
Meanwhile the uncertainty is driving people away, which is not helped by the unhelpful attitude and actions of the Home Office, meaning loss of a valuable resource for this country, as well as being unhelpful to the future negotiations with the EU.
So can Sir Julian please explain how he and the government can provide more realistic support for such citizens?
Chris Lowe Hackington Road, Tyler Hill, Canterbury