UK to give EU migrants right to stay – even in a no-deal scenario
BRITAIN will give EU migrants a unilateral right to stay in the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit amid fears of labour shortages, leaked Cabinet papers reveal.
One paper, seen by The Daily Telegraph, states Britain will take a “moral high ground” by agreeing to enable EU migrants to live in the UK and continue to access the NHS and claim benefits.
However the paper also highlights the fact that much of the UK’S no-deal planning will rely heavily “on the availability of existing labour” in the event that talks break down.
Ministers across Government have warned that Brexit must not lead to shortages in sectors such as health, social care, construction and tourism.
The Government will guarantee the rights of EU migrants regardless of whether Brussels agrees to do the same for Britons living in Spain and other
European nations. Details of the offer for EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit will be set out in one of 83 technical papers on such a scenario, the first of which will be published next week.
The Government has stressed that they will be “serious and sober” and that they will not be a rerun of “Project Fear” after a backlash by Eurosceptic Tory MPS who accused the Prime Minister of taking a “kamikaze” approach to no-deal planning.
The Cabinet paper, which was given to ministers last month, describes the rights of EU citizens as “one of the most important aspects” of no-deal planning. All 3.8million EU migrants living in the UK will be entitled to stay and continue to enjoy access to healthcare and benefits. They will also be able to bring spouses and “close family members” from abroad to live with them in the UK.
The paper states: “The Home Office plans to make an offer to existing EU residents that they can remain in the UK in a ‘no deal’ scenario, in effect unilaterally implementing the (immigration element of the) Citizens’ Rights agreement agreed with the EU in December 2017. The proposal is to make the offer irrespective of whether the EU reciprocates. Any package would need resolution for the reciprocal elements of the December 2017 deal.
“Making an offer is not only important to provide certainty publicly, but will enable the UK Government to take the moral high ground. A number of other plans are also dependent on the Government’s position on this issue, relying heavily on the availability of existing labour in a ‘no-deal’ scenario.”
The approach has been welcomed by many Eurosceptic MPS. Jacob Reesmogg said: “I have always thought we should make a unilateral offer in this area. EU migrants came here legally, and the UK is not the sort of country that applies retrospective legislation. They should have broadly the same rights as British citizens – no better or worse.”
However David Jones, another Tory Eurosceptic MP, said: “It’s got to be reciprocal. We have a large number of Britons in the EU and their interests have got to be reflected. We have got to look after our own people.”