Ministers braced for influx of expats if no deal reached

MINISTERS are braced for an influx of British expats in the event of a no-deal Brexit if the European Union fails to guarantee their right to continue living on the continent.

Approximately one million UK nationals live in the EU, with a quarter of them aged 65 or over, and their status under a disorderly Brexit is unclear.

The UK yesterday set out the terms under which EU nationals can stay living and working in the UK if no divorce deal is agreed and it has pleaded with Brussels to take reciprocal action.

Under the UK’S no-deal offer on citizens’ rights, EU nationals who move to Britain before Brexit in March 2019 could apply for the right to stay, with an application deadline of December 31, 2020. Theresa May’s Brexit deal includes a reciprocal commitment between the UK and EU to protect citizens’ rights, but that commitment would fall away if the overall withdrawal agreement is not ratified.

Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, urged the EU to reciprocate the no-deal offer, but said the UK would be ready if Britons were forced to return to Britain.

He said: “There are a number of steps the Government would consider to address concerns. This includes access to healthcare, education, benefits and housing. We recognise these would be an important part of a transition back to life in the UK.”

But Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, warned that EU citizens should not be used as “bargaining chips” in a no-deal Brexit and insisted the European Parliament ring-fence their rights.