Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement to Parliament on the EU Council meeting of 22-23 June and the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
[...]we want to build what I have described as a new, deep and special partnership between a confident, self-governing global Britain and all our friends and allies in the European Union.
Mr Speaker, that is the positive and constructive spirit in which my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union began the formal negotiations last week – and it is the same spirit in which the United Kingdom made a full contribution to all the issues at this Council – including on security, migration, climate change and trade.
[...]So building on the bi-lateral agreement I reached with President Macron earlier this month, at this Council I argued that we must come together to defeat the hateful and extremist ideologies that inspire these attacks. And to stop the internet being used as a safe space for extremists.
When one third of all links to Daesh propaganda are shared within the first hour of release, it is not enough for technology companies to respond reactively to extremist content on their platforms.
So the Council agreed to put pressure on these companies to do more to remove this content automatically and also to ensure that law enforcement agencies can access encrypted data.
This was a significant step forward. And we will continue to work together with our European partners to combat this evil, to defend our values, and to keep our citizens safe. [...]
On trade, as the UK leaves the European Union we will be forging trade deals around the world with old friends and new allies alike. But this will not undermine the EU’s trade agenda; it is not even in competition with it.
So for as long as we remain part of the EU, we will continue to press for an ambitious trade agenda that can deliver jobs and growth across the continent. And that is what I did at this Council, where there was a particular focus on the work towards deals with Japan, Mexico and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries. [...]
Citizens’ Rights
Mr Speaker, turning to citizens’ rights, EU citizens make an invaluable contribution to our United Kingdom – to our economy, our public services and our everyday lives. They are an integral part of the economic, cultural and social fabric of our country and I have always been clear that I want to protect their rights.
That is why I initially sought an agreement on this before we triggered Article 50. And it is why I am making it an immediate priority at the beginning of the negotiations.
But Mr Speaker, that agreement must be reciprocal, because we must protect the rights of UK citizens living in EU member states too.
[...] First, we want certainty. I know there has been some anxiety about what would happen to EU citizens at the point we leave the European Union.
Today I want to put that anxiety to rest. I want to completely reassure people that, under these plans, no EU citizen currently in the UK lawfully will be asked to leave at the point the UK leaves the EU. We want you to stay.
Second, any EU citizen in the UK with five years’ continuous residence - at a specified cut-off date - will be granted settled status. They will be treated as if they were UK citizens for healthcare, education, benefits and pensions. While any EU citizens with less than five years’ residence - who have arrived before the specified cut-off date - will be able to stay until they have the five years’ residence to apply for UK settled status.
Third, the specified cut-off date will be the subject of discussions – but it will be no earlier than the date we triggered Article 50 and no later than the date we leave the EU. Fourth, no families will be split up. Family dependents who join a qualifying EU citizen here before the UK’s exit will be able to apply for settled status after five years.
And after the UK has left the European Union, EU citizens with settled status will be able to bring family members from overseas on the same terms as British nationals.
Fifth, there will be no cliff-edge. There will be a grace period of up to two years to allow people to regularise their status. While those EU citizens who arrived in the UK after the specified cut-off date will be allowed to remain in the UK for at least a temporary period and may still become eligible to settle permanently.
Sixth, the system of registration that citizens go through will be as streamlined and light touch as possible and we intend to remove some of the technical requirements currently needed to obtain permanent residence under EU rules.
For example, we will not require anyone to demonstrate that they have held comprehensive sickness insurance.
Seventh, we expect this offer to be extended on a reciprocal basis to nationals of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
And the reciprocal agreement on citizens’ rights will apply to the entire United Kingdom and Gibraltar.
Eighth, this is all without prejudice to the Common Travel Area arrangements that exist between the UK and Ireland. We will preserve the freedoms that UK and Irish nationals currently enjoy in each others’ state. And Irish citizens will not need to apply for permanent residence to protect these entitlements.
Finally, the UK will continue to export and uprate the UK State Pension and provide associated healthcare cover within the EU. We will continue to protect the export of other benefits and associated healthcare cover, where the individual is in receipt of those benefits on the specified cut-off date. And subject to negotiations we want to continue participating in the European Health Insurance Card scheme, so that UK card holders could continue to benefit from free or reduced cost healthcare while on a temporary stay in the EU and vice versa for EU card holders visiting the UK.
Mr Speaker, this is a fair and serious offer. Our obligations in the Withdrawal Treaty with the EU will be binding on the UK as a matter of international law. And we will incorporate commitments into UK law guaranteeing that we will stand firmly by our part of the deal.
So our offer will give those three million EU citizens in the UK certainty about the future of their lives. And a reciprocal agreement will provide the same certainty for the more than one million UK citizens who are living in the European Union.
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, one year on from that momentous decision to leave the European Union, let us remember what we are seeking to achieve with these negotiations.
We are withdrawing from a system of treaties and bureaucracy that does not work for us. But we are not withdrawing from the values and solidarity that we share with our European neighbours. As a confident, outward-looking and self-governing nation, we know that it is not just our past that is entwined in the fortunes of our friends and neighbours.
It is our future too.
That is why we want this new, deep and special partnership.
And it is why we approach these negotiations with optimism.
Because a good deal for Britain and a good deal for Europe are not competing alternatives. [...]
Full speech
David Davis' opening statement from the Queen’s Speech Debate ‘Brexit and Foreign Affairs’
[...] we will seek a deep and special partnership with the European Union. One that reflects our shared values and histories.
One that works for all parts of the United Kingdom, our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. And one that delivers for the special circumstances around the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, because no-one wants to see a return to a hard border.
It should be a partnership like no other.
It should be underpinned by ambitious agreements on free trade and customs, covering goods and services and seeking the greatest possible tariff and barrier-free trade.
It should also include a broad security agreement covering all aspects of our current collaboration – including defence and foreign policy, justice and home affairs, law enforcement and counter-terrorism.
And it should be supported by continued cooperation and open access in highly regulated areas like aviation, financial services, data, transport and nuclear.
We recognise that such a wide ranging partnership will require fair and uniform implementation. It must also be long lasting.
That is why we must ensure mechanisms exist to manage the evolution of our regulatory frameworks to maintain a fair and open trading environment and minimise non-tariff barriers.
That is also why we have been clear that this new partnership must be overseen by a new independent, impartial dispute resolution mechanism.
This cannot and will not be the European Court of Justice. No nation outside the European Union submits to direct jurisdiction of the ECJ – neither will the UK.
We will start towards this new partnership by securing the rights of citizens on both sides.
I know everyone in this House will agree with me that European Union citizens make a huge contribution to our society.
You’ve heard from the Prime Minister about what the approach will entail – but the overarching principle is that European citizens living in the United Kingdom will continue to live their lives in exactly the same way as British citizens, with the same rights and responsibilities. [...]
Leaving the single market and customs union
[...] Ending the free movement of people means leaving the single market – as the EU has made abundantly clear to those that have cared to listen.
We all accept the need to protect existing UK business in the EU. Leaving the single market does not mean losing access to that market. Which is why we’re proposing a new ambitious free trade agreement.
But this is not just about protecting existing markets.
To deliver in the national interest we must seize on our new freedoms in terms of trade to create jobs and lift living standards. Britain must get out into the world, forge its own path, and be a true beacon for free trade.
That means leaving the customs union, so that Britain for the first time in over 40 years will be able to take full advantage of growing markets across the world and determine a trade policy fashioned – not around 28 country’s interests – but about one country’s interest. So we get a trade policy that suits this country, and this country alone.
The European Commission itself says that 90% of future growth in world trade will come from outside the European Union.
This has already been reflected by the long term decline in the share of British goods that go to the European Union as our global trade has increased dramatically.
That 90% growth outside has meant that our relative share of trade has gone down.
In services for example, we’re now 60% outside the EU and 40% inside. Now, all of this is without preferential trade agreements for much of our trade.
Just so the House understands, the best academic data I can find shows that creating a new trade agreement increases the amount of trade by about 28%.
If the House wants an individual parable, NAFTA, in its first seven years of operation, increased trade by 40%. So these are really significant items of policy which we can exercise.
So if this House wants a Brexit deal that drives prosperity and living standards.
If it really wants a Brexit for jobs. Then it must put its faith in free trade and ensure an exit that means we can embrace its opportunities to the full. [...]
Repeal Bill
[...] The principle is straightforward: to repeal the 1972 Act, and to transfer existing European Union law into UK law. And, to answer a question which my opposite number has raised, these rights and freedoms will be brought into UK law without qualification, without limitation and without any sunset clauses. Any material changes will be dealt with by subsequent primary legislation.
I cannot stress enough to the House, and the nation, the importance of this Bill in ensuring that we can have a smooth and orderly exit from the European Union.
Every part of the United Kingdom needs to prepare its statute book and ensure that it functions after we leave the European Union. The Repeal Bill will give the Devolved Administrations the power to do just that and ensure a smooth and orderly exit for all.
As we have also said repeatedly, we expect there will be a significant increase in the decision-making power of each Devolved Administration once we exit the EU.
That is why – given that this Bill affects the powers of the devolved institutions and legislates in devolved areas – we will seek the consent of the devolved legislatures for the Bill. We would like everyone to come together in support of this legislation, which is crucial to delivering the outcome of the referendum.
When we designed our approach to the Repeal Bill we endeavoured to strike the right balance between getting our statute book in order for the day we exit but also ensuring full parliamentary involvement and scrutiny. [...]
Other EU exit related legislation
While the Repeal Bill is the centrepiece of our approach, it is far from the only piece of exit related legislation we will be putting through.
The Government is bringing forward a first tranche of Bills on areas affected by our exit from the European Union. These include legislation on trade, customs, immigration, international sanctions, nuclear safeguards, agriculture, and fisheries.
I have told this House a number of times, we are not going to make significant policy changes without first passing primary legislation that will be thoroughly debated and voted on in both Houses. These Bills will deliver on that promise.
This initial tranche of Bills also has a further purpose. As I am sure many across the House would agree, it is the job of a responsible government to prepare for all eventualities.
I have made clear yet again today that we want a close new partnership with the EU that works for everyone. However, we must also be ensure we have a functioning statute book and functioning national systems no matter what – in other words for all outcomes. These bills will help to provide that. Not doing so would, as the then Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee put it, would be a ‘dereliction of duty’. [...]
Full statement
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