Government’s offer is unacceptable

Government’s offer is unacceptable

The Government’s halfway-house offer signals a clear and worrying intent to continue use EU nationals in the UK as bargaining chips – just months after Europeans were openly referred to as “negotiating capital” in a Home Office letter.

The new offer is strong on spin and weak on detail. There is a risk that huge numbers of Europeans resident in the UK will be left out by the offer, which does not take complex circumstances into account, and there is a further risk surrounding whether families will be able to stay together.

We are told the policy will be fleshed out in more detail on Monday. But anything short of a unilateral guarantee that current EU residents and their families can retain the rights they moved here with will be insufficient. And the new administration must commit to serious engagement and consultation with European residents and their organisations, who have felt under-represented throughout this process.

While this offer is a small step in the right direction, it could leave out huge numbers of people, and there is a concerning lack of detail on whether families will be able to stay together.

For a year now, most recently in our letter to David Davis, we have been calling on policymakers to end the confusion, fear and anxiety that has become a daily reality for our European friends, colleagues and neighbours. The sheer number of unanswered questions are unacceptable when people’s livelihoods and futures hang in the balance.

We hope that this renewed focus on EU nationals’ rights ends in a deal fair for all.

We know from our European members how this uncertainty affects their daily lives including affecting their mental health. Many are also concerned about the rhetoric around the discussion of their futures in the UK, and fear a rising tide of xenophobia pushed by irresponsible politicians and headline writers.

For a year now, EU nationals have been left suspended in a state of uncertainty. Many feel they can’t plan, or know whether to leave or stay. The impact of these worries on daily life is not a small thing.

A majority of both Remain and Leave supporters are behind full rights for EU nationals in the UK, as are multiple political parties and ten organisations representing Brits abroad. It’s time for Government to stop dithering and do the right thing.