07 July 2017

Bloomberg: Davis pushed May to guarantee EU citizens rights

UK Prime Minister Theresa May rejected pleas from her own Brexit secretary to make an unconditional promise to guarantee the rights of European Union citizens living in Britain when the country leaves the bloc, according to two people familiar with the matter.

In a sign that May’s own team is uneasy about her hard-line approach to Brexit, David Davis, the minister responsible for negotiating the split, warned her repeatedly that the uncertain fate of 3.2 million EU nationals in the U.K. was souring his meetings with other member states, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

And on Friday on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meetings, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond warned that it would be “madness” not to seek “the closest possible arrangement” with the EU as it will continue to be Britain’s biggest trading partner.

“The thing that I remind my colleagues is that if we lose access to our European markets, that will be an instant effect, overnight,” he told reporters at the G20 in Hamburg, Germany. “People who are looking to us to protect jobs, economic growth, living standards, they won’t thank us if we deliver them an instant hit with only a longer term slowly building benefit to compensate.”

Davis wanted May to guarantee Europeans’ residency and work rights, even without receiving a reciprocal promise for British expatriates living in the EU. He feared the negotiations could break down over May’s unwillingness to make such an offer.

Brexit Concerns

Despite the concerns, said to have been shared by other ministers, May insisted Britain’s offer will depend on the EU promising the same assurances to protect U.K. citizens, the people said.

“EU citizens in the U.K. are incredibly valued members of our communities and society. And we want them to continue to live their lives as they do now, which is why we set out our proposal to guarantee their rights, with a new settled status,” the Brexit department said in an emailed statement. “We are confident that we can reach a reciprocal agreement for EU citizens in Britain and U.K. nationals in the EU early in the process.”

The division emerged at a highly sensitive time in the negotiations, with both sides deadlocked in public over how to protect the rights of their expatriates. The emergence of a private split between May and her most senior Brexit official could undermine their ability to hold a tough line with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier on this and other issues. 

May finally made her offer on EU nationals’ rights last month, in a 20-page document detailing her plan to safeguard the entitlements of Europeans living in Britain. Crucially, her proposal is conditional on the EU making a matching promise to British nationals living on the continent, and Barnier said the plan fell short of what he is seeking.

Settling the emotive question of citizens’ rights is regarded by both sides as the most urgent priority for talks -- and a quick deal would help build trust and smooth the way toward discussing a long-term trade deal. [...]

Full piece on Bloomberg

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