EU citizens get ‘lifelong right to return’

BRITAIN is preparing to offer millions of EU migrants the ‘lifelong’ right to return to the UK after Brexit – even if they leave the country for years.

The plan is part of a ‘trade-off’ in return for British citizens living on the continent being allowed ‘unlimited’ movement across the EU after Brexit day. It emerged during a European Parliament debate yesterday in which it was claimed Downing Street is ‘ready to go for’ the deal.

There are currently around 3.5million EU citizens living in the UK, compared with 00,000 Britons in the rest of the bloc. As it stands in the draft withdrawal agreement, EU citizens will be given settled status after Brexit, but would lose such rights if they left Britain for five years or more. However, under the new plan, EU citizens would have the ‘lifelong’ right to return to Britain regardless of how long they are away.

Critics last night blasted the plan, saying it amounted to ‘open-ended free movement’ and contradicted the Government’s pledge to introduce a post-Brexit immigration system based on skills.

Labour MP Kate Hoey said: ‘My view remains that when we leave the EU, EU citizens cannot be treated any differently than citizens of the rest of the world, and this measure would be doing so.

‘I do not believe this is what people voted for. The Government must stop giving in to EU demands.’

Tory MP Philip Davies said: ‘It seems the Prime Minister will agree to anything to do a Brexit deal.

Previously, the withdrawal agreement had stated that UK citizens would have to remain in the country they were in after Brexit. But this passage has been removed, paving the way for a deal allowing them to move throughout the EU’s 27 member states. The proposal was revealed by the European Parliament’s Brexit spokesman Guy Verhofstadt as he urged EU Council president Donald Tusk to agree the deal during a debate in Strasbourg.

Mr Verhofstadt visited No10 last month. A source familiar with the visit said the plan had been discussed with both Theresa May and Home Secretary Sajid Javid and that the MEP had left feeling ‘upbeat’.

Updating MEPs on last week’s EU summit, Mr Tusk also claimed it was Mrs May who originally proposed the possibility of extending the post-Brexit transition period beyond 2020 – despite her public claims she is opposed to the move.

ITALY’S government stood defiant yesterday after Brussels ordered it to rip up its budget.

EU bosses have taken the unprecedented step of rejecting Rome’s financial plans for next year, escalating a weeks-long standoff.

Brussels has given Italy three weeks to rework its numbers to bring the country into line with EU spending rules.

It is the first time the bloc has used the strict rules to refuse a national budget since they were introduced in 2014.

But yesterday Matteo Salvini, the country’s deputy prime minister, dug his heels in. He said: ‘They want us to cut the funds for health, for disability, for the right to education. There’s no way. If they continue inflicting random blows, it makes me want to give the Italian people more money.’

Prime minister Giuseppe Conte also boasted of the ‘robust’ Italian economy during a visit to Moscow. He said: ‘Let’s be certain that the fundamentals of our economy are strong, our economy is robust and we only need to go forward. The government will do its part.

‘We are the second manufacturing power in Europe, we are probably the country which has the strongest fabric of micro and small businesses, and we are proud of this.’ Italy’s coalition government wants to run a deficit of 2.4 per cent of its GDP – three times more than targeted by the previous government – to fulfil spending pledges made during the election earlier this year.

But Brussels believes the country’s plans could result in the deficit creeping closer to a rules-busting 3 per cent. Italy says it needs about £15 billion to fund promises including tax cuts, a universal basic income and pension changes.

However, this would contribute to the country’s huge debt pile, which at 130 per cent of GDP is the biggest in the eurozone area behind Greece. It is also more than double the bloc’s limit of 60 per cent.

Announcing the measures in the European parliament on Tuesday, the EU’s budget chief, Pierre Moscovici, said: ‘The opinion adopted today by the Commission should come as no surprise to anyone, as the Italian government’s draft budget represents a clear and intentional deviation from the commitments made by Italy last July.

‘However, our door is not closing, we wish to continue our constructive dialogue with the Italian authorities.’

Italy’s government has until November 14 to respond with revised plans.

But Mr Conte said there was no Plan B for the budget and he would find it ‘difficult’ to make any changes.

‘Continue inflicting random blows’