EU nationals living in the UK before Brexit should be allowed to stay here permanently, expert panel recommends
PM accused of being 'morally wrong' by refusing to guarantee status of the nearly three million Europeans in Britain
EU NATIONALS who are living in the UK before Brexit is triggered should be allowed to stay here, an expert panel has recommended.
The Prime Minister is accused of being “morally wrong” by refusing to guarantee the status of the nearly three million Europeans in the country unless the rights of Brits living on the continent are also guaranteed.
The inquiry by think tank British Future called for the UK to "make the first move" and demonstrate "goodwill" as it embarks on its divorce negotiations with Brussels.
The panel, which included a cross-party group of MPs, said all 2.8 million EU nationals should be eligible for permanent residence with the same health, social and education rights as British citizens.
If found that setting the date that Article 50 is triggered as the cut-off point would be fair and legally watertight, but would not lead to a surge in migration from across the bloc and European Economic Area nations.
Labour's Gisela Stuart, a Leave campaigner who chaired the inquiry, said: "Our inquiry found that people from different sides of the referendum and politics can quite easily agree on practical, straightforward ways to ensure that EU nationals can stay in Britain with their rights protected.
“That's the right thing to do and something that most voters agree with too.
"We determined that the triggering of Article 50 should be the cut-off date, after which EU citizens moving to the UK would not be entitled to stay permanently after Brexit. This would limit any 'pull factor' for EU citizens not already in the UK.
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"Britain should make clear at the start of the Brexit negotiations that EU citizens already here before that date can stay. This would send a clear signal about the kind of country the UK will be after Brexit and the relationship we want with Europe.
“We should expect reciprocal deals for Britons living in European countries, but Britain should make the first move to demonstrate goodwill."
There are around 1.2 million British nationals living in other EU countries, whose status is yet to be decided on when we exit the trading bloc.
Owen Tudor, head of EU and international relations at the Trade Union Congress, said: "EU nationals working in the UK and making a contribution are anxious about what happens to them when Britain leaves the EU.
“They need to know about their future rights to live and work here.”
The TUC chief added: "This shouldn't be a matter for negotiation. The Prime Minister should make the first move to unblock this ghastly uncertainty.
"It is morally right and pragmatically sensible."
The inquiry panel is calling for the permanent residence system, which is underpinned by EU law, to be converted into the indefinite leave to remain status available to international migrants living in the UK.
But the complex and expensive process should be streamlined and costs capped, it said.
A Government spokesman said: "The Prime Minster and other ministers have been absolutely clear that they want to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that wouldn't be possible is if British citizens' rights in European member states were not protected in return."
