UK Lawmakers Urge Both Brexit Teams To Ringfence Expat Rights

Parliament’s Select Committee on Exiting the EU is urging both sides of the negotiating teams to agree the rights of EU and UK expats should be ring-fenced.

The select committee sees no reason why expat rights should be dependent on agreements concerning the Irish border or financial issues. Its position at this stage of the game is that, quite simply, the agreement on peoples’ lives should be kept separate from cross-border political infighting on other issues. Rights should be granted in perpetuity, leaving the myriad of other problems open for discussion without threatening the future lives of 4.5 million people.

Such a decision, according to cross-party Select Committee members, would mean people really do come before politics, trade, borders and money. The MPs stated they weren’t unhappy about the progress of the negotiations to date as regards expat rights, but are urging negotiators on both sides to quickly resolve outstanding issues. Once talks on trade and other issues commence, they believe there’s no reason why the nuts and bolts of expat rights couldn’t be discussed in tandem.

In the meantime, controversial ex-PM Tony Blair still believes it’s possible to stop Brexit in its tracks and return to the old order before too much damage is done to the UK economy. In an interview last Friday, Blair told reporters he hoped the final parliamentary vote on Brexit would result in its rejection, thus enabling the UK to stay within the EU. Blair is urging the Labour Party to unite against Brexit, adding he sees a gently swelling movement away from Leave to the sensible option of staying in.

Blair’s stance is straightforward in that the costs of leaving and the effect on Britain’s economy and position in the world are far too important for the British people and the government not to have a final say on whether what’s been agreed is acceptable. As new facts are revealed about the effects of the divorce on all aspects of British life, he said, he expects a swell of public support for a second referendum which should result in a win for Remain making the entire nightmare evaporate.