PM's offer to EU citizens in UK labelled 'pathetic'
A campaign group says Theresa May's proposals are "neither fair nor serious", and still leave many issues up in the air.
Friday 23 June 2017 15:59, UK
Theresa May's offer on residency rights for EU citizens post-Brexit has been labelled "pathetic" by a campaign group.
The Prime Minister has acknowledged that her plans, which envisage a new "settled status" for EU nationals, will be contested by Brussels, with areas of dispute likely to include jurisdiction and the cut-off date for eligibility.
Under the proposals, settled status will be available to all EU nationals who have been in the UK for five years, giving them the same rights as British citizens to healthcare, education, welfare benefits and pensions.
Those who have been in the UK for a shorter time would be able to stay until they hit the five-year threshold for settled status, while others who arrive after a cut-off date will be given a "grace period", expected to be two years, to regularise their immigration status.
Mrs May , and said EU expats should take "reassurance and confidence" from what has been put on the table.
But the co-chair of the 3Million movement, Nicolas Hatton, was scathing.
He said: "There is something slightly pathetic about the Prime Minister's proposal which makes no reference to the detailed, comprehensive offer tabled by the EU.
"The Prime Minister described her proposal as fair and serious. It's neither fair nor serious."
The group said the PM's proposals still left uncertainty around the reunification of families, the right to work, the recognition of professional qualifications and the ability to retain UK rights when moving between and working across different European countries.
And the group said the UK offer lacked the lifetime guarantee of rights and enforcement by the European Court of Justice included in the formal proposal already tabled by the EU.
Mrs May has promised to unveil further details in a Government paper on Monday.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the proposals were "a first step, but not sufficient".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the proposals were "a good start", but warned there were "many, many other issues" before Britain could agree an exit deal with the EU.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said there were "thousands of questions to ask" about the proposals, and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern described them as "a first step" which did not cover the situations of many EU citizens in the UK.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called it a "particularly vague proposal".
Using a Flemish phrase to describe a dubious gift, he said: "We don't want a cat in the bag. We want the rights of EU citizens to be permanently guaranteed."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said people should not be used as "bargaining chips" in negotiations.
He said: "What she has floated falls far short of the full guarantee Labour would make.
"That isn't just the right thing to do, it's also the best way to guarantee the rights of British nationals living in the EU."
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the proposals "leave millions of people still facing unanswered questions over their futures here".
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said: "This doesn't end uncertainty facing EU citizens who have made their home here. Shameful Theresa May still using them as bargaining chips."