MP says unilateral move would send a positive signal ahead of negotiations
In Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons this afternoon, John Baron MP raised the issue of EU citizens currently resident in the UK.
John asked,
“Following her excellent EU speech last week, will the Prime Minister unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK? This would not only be the decent thing to do, but taking the moral high ground would be a source of strength as the negotiations unfold, and we can always return to the issue of non-reciprocation by the EU if necessary later in those negotiations.”
The Prime Minister responded that she expects to be able to guarantee the rights of EU citizens currently in the UK, but will not do so until other EU countries guarantee the rights of UK citizens living in their countries. However, she stated that she hopes this would be one of the first issues to be resolved once the negotiations begin.
John said afterwards,
“I commend the Prime Minister for prioritising this issue in the negotiations. However, taking the moral high ground on this issue would reinforce her strong hand in these talks, and would send a positive signal regarding our intent. It would also allay the understandable concerns of EU citizens living and working here.”
John Baron will not post replies to any comments - to contact John please Click here or alternatively for a full list of contact details Click here