29 April 2018

The Independent: Britain set to offer EU immigration deal 'very similar' to free movement

Britain is set to make an offer to the EU on future immigration which would see arrangements “very similar” to current free movement rules put in place after Brexit, The Independent has learned.

It comes as a leaked legal experts’ report commissioned by politicians in Belfast concluded it will be impossible to stop people coming into the UK at will anyway, if Theresa May stays true to her commitment to avoid a hard border with Ireland.

The last week has also seen the government under heavy pressure to accept staying in an EU customs union – an arrangement which would align with the new offer on immigration rights.

News of the offer planned by British officials has been corroborated by sources in Whitehall and Brussels and would form a key part of the prime minister’s efforts to lock the EU into a deal on future relations.

A British government insider said: “Civil servants have been looking at how to give talks some momentum and dealing with this issue is a way to do it.”

The Independent understands that the offer would mean European citizens coming into the UK after Brexit would benefit from visa-free travel.

They would then be able to gain the right to work in the UK under a new status that would be distinct for people arriving from the EU.

These key elements would bring the new arrangements close to those enjoyed by EU citizens under current free movement rules, which Ms May has pledged to end.

But under the proposed system, the British government would retain the right to impose an emergency brake or enact restrictions on migration when it felt a need to in the national interest.

A source in Brussels said: “The British have said that this idea could get things moving again, and that it looks very similar to free movement. We will see.” [...]

Full article on The Independent

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