London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2026

MEPs to express 'grave concern' about UK stance on EU citizens in Britain

MEPs to express 'grave concern' about UK stance on EU citizens in Britain

Exclusive: leaked resolution by main political groups follows threats of deportation made by British minister
The European parliament will express its “grave concern” about the attitude of Boris Johnson’s government to the 3.3 million EU citizens living in the UK following threats of deportation made by a British minister.

In a leaked resolution drafted by the main political groups and due to be backed by MEPs next Wednesday, Johnson’s administration is accused of creating “anxiety” in recent months.

The condemnation follows the comments of security minister Brandon Lewis, who threatened EU citizens with deportation from the UK if they do not apply for settled status before the deadline of 30 June 2021.

The minister later claimed that his comments had been taken out of context, raising concerns about what the parliament’s political groups describe as “conflicting” announcements from Whitehall.

The parliament’s resolution, obtained by the Guardian, further warns:

Without a “physical document” offering proof of their right to residency at the end of the transition period on 1 January 2021 there is an increased “risk of discrimination against EU27 citizens by prospective employers or landlords who may want to avoid the extra administrative burden of online verification, or erroneously fear they might place themselves in an unlawful situation”.

The “limited geographical spread” of assistance offered to “older and vulnerable” EU citizens, including those who may have difficulty in using digital applications, needs addressing.

The application procedure that EU citizens go through should be dropped to ensure that there is a presumption that they will can retain their rights to live and work in the UK.

Johnson’s decision to revise the withdrawal agreement bill to allow the independent monitoring authority, responsible for overseeing UK policies towards EU citizens, to delegate its powers to other bodies is concerning.

The parliament will also state that the level of free movement granted to EU citizens after Brexit should be a factor in deciding the “degree of future cooperation in other areas”.

Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats’ acting leader, said of the resolution: “This confirms Boris Johnson cannot be trusted to keep his word when it comes to the rights of EU citizens in the UK. The risk of another Windrush catastrophe is all too real with this shameful approach.”

An unpublished letter from the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, to the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, echoes the MEPs’ fears, according to a copy seen by the Guardian. Barclay responds in correspondence by defending the UK’s approach and seeking updates on the schemes being developed by the EU27 governments.

The details of the parliament’s call to the Johnson administration comes ahead of a meeting between the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British prime minister in Downing Street on Wednesday.

The former German defence minister will give a speech, entitled Old Friends, New Beginnings, at her former university, the London School of Economics, before joining the prime minister at No 10, where they are expected to express confidence about the coming year.

Sources close to Von der Leyen said she would seek to privately sketch out the potential pitfalls in the 11 months Johnson has set as the timeframe within which to agree a comprehensive deal.

But EU sources said the trip would be the first of a number of initiatives designed to move the Brexit negotiations into a more collaborative phase that avoids the clashes of the last three years.

“We do not want to do this negotiation in public, that is for sure,” one senior EU official said.

When the EU’s negotiating position is revealed in draft form in early February, before its formal adoption by the EU27 at a meeting of ministers on 25 February, it will only contain “headline principles” in order to avoid an early clash with the UK.

Johnson has said the UK will not align with EU rules after Brexit, while the EU is expected to make significant “level playing field” demands on the UK in exchange for a zero tariff, zero quotas trade deal.

But the detail of those demands are not expected to be stipulated in the negotiating mandate to avoid clashes when the talks start in earnest in early March.

It is understood, however, the demands will closely follow those contained in the agreement made between Theresa May’s government and the EU over the operation of the shared customs territory envisioned in the original Northern Ireland backstop.

The EU will seek dynamic alignment with the bloc’s state aid rules and the continuation in the UK’s domestic law of the bloc’s directives on the exchange of information on taxation, anti-tax avoidance rules and country-by-country reporting by credit institutions and investment firms.

The UK will be asked to reaffirm its commitment to curb harmful tax measures as defined in the EU code of conduct.

In the field of environmental standards, sources said the EU will “at the very least” seek a commitment from the British government that it will not lower the EU’s existing environmental standards in key areas such as industrial emissions, air quality targets, nature and biodiversity protection and environmental impact assessments.

EU sources suggested that the French president, Emmanuel Macron, could push for a closer alignment to ensure the UK stays in line with Brussels as Von der Leyen pushes her new green deal.

The EU will also demand that the UK implements a system of carbon pricing that is as effective as the EU emission trading scheme for greenhouse emission allowances. The EU additionally wants non-regression clauses in the trade deal on labour and social protection standards.

The UK is expected to leave the EU on 31 January. The withdrawal agreement bill is returning to the Commons this week and will move to the House of Lords on Monday. It is expected to be on the statute books by the middle of the month and the European parliament will vote to ratify the deal on 29 January, according to a leaked draft agenda.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have already provided certainty to over 2 million people who have been granted status through the EU settlement scheme. Our scheme is free, there is plenty of support for applicants and, once the withdrawal agreement bill passes, EU citizens have until the end of June 2021 to apply.

“We have done far more than any other EU member state has done for British citizens, and it’s time they adopted a similarly generous approach.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Commits Fifty Million Pounds to Establish Regional Artificial Intelligence Innovation Clusters
Ofgem Directs Major Energy Suppliers to Expand Vulnerable Household Support Funds Ahead of Winter Heating Season
Home Office and National Police Chiefs Council Unveil New Intelligence-Led Strategy to Tackle Organised Immigration Crime Networks
First Minister John Swinney Secures Scottish Parliament Approval for Comprehensive Climate and Green Energy Infrastructure Strategy
National Health Service England and Trades Union Congress Finalize Agreement on Emergency Winter Staffing and Pay Frameworks
HM Treasury and Department for Business and Trade Announce Multi-Billion-Pound Sovereign Investment Pact to Spur Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Signals Potential for Faster Interest Rate Cuts as Domestic Inflation Pressures Ease Below Forecasts
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs Onto Gas to Lower Household Bills
Housebuilding Across Scotland Plummets to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Pledges to Tackle National Housing Emergency
Greggs Announces Factory Closures Across Northern England and Scotland Affecting Seven Hundred Forty Jobs
United Kingdom and Singapore Conclude Eleventh Financial Dialogue in Singapore to Deepen Cooperation on Digital Finance and Capital Markets
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs to Gas Bills and Tap Windfall Profits to Lower Consumer Prices
British Broadcasting Corporation Announces Major Cost-Cutting Overhaul to Close Linear Broadcast Services for Television Channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland Alongside Digital Radio Station BBC Radio Four Extra
London Capital Markets Face Renewed Scrutiny After High-Profile Offerings Underperform Post-Listing
Green Party Wins Historic First Westminster Parliamentary By-Election in Gorton and Denton
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds Unveils Sweeping Regulatory Overhaul for English Water Industry
United Kingdom Health Security Agency Confirms Thirty-Four Cases in Kent Meningitis Outbreak
Ministry of Defence Prepares Heat Pump Subsidy Cuts to Fund Urgent Military Modernization
British and European Union Officials Schedule Long-Awaited Bilateral Leaders Summit for November Twentieth
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Urges Strict Fiscal Credibility to Protect British Bond Markets
United Kingdom Inflation Rises to Three Point One Percent Driven by Escalating Fuel Costs
Profit Warnings Among London-Listed Companies Reach Two-Year High Amid Global Energy Shocks
Chancellor John Healey Signals Targeted Tax Changes on Banks and London Corporate Offices Ahead of Budget
British Government Reallocates Twenty-Five Per Cent of International Climate Finance to Global Biodiversity Projects
Initial British Carbon Border Taxes Set to Undercut Parallel European Union Tariffs on Industrial Imports
Whitehall Prepares National Zero-Interest Loan Initiative to Accelerate Domestic Heat Pump and Solar Adoption
European Union Offers British Automakers Access to Hybrid Vehicle Trade Protections Subject to Strict Regulatory Alignment
British Probation Officers Threaten Widespread Industrial Action After Rejecting Five Per Cent Government Pay Offer
Microsoft Abandons Major British Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Citing Severe National Grid Power Constraints
United Kingdom Inflation Accelerates to Three Point Four Per Cent Ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Inaugural Autumn Budget
Surging Cloned Number Plates Severely Complicate Traffic Enforcement and Police Investigations
Mounting Opposition Challenges Planned Rollout of Autonomous Taxis Across London
Influential Think Tank Urges Rejoining European Union to Navigate Geopolitical Crises
Government Review Recommends Slashing Benefits to Fund Youth Employment Initiatives
Senior Minister Shabana Mahmood Seeks New Law Enforcement Pact With European Union
Airbus Executive Warns Britain Risks Losing Crucial Role in European Space Industry
Exorbitant Electricity Costs Push British Steelmakers to Worst Competitive Position in Three Years
British Food and Beverage Exports to European Union Collapse by Over a Third Since Brexit
Up to Twenty English Maternity Units Face Impending Closure Due to Safety and Staffing Crises
Government Declares Severe Drought Across Southern England Following Record Dry Spell
Corporate Profit Warnings Reach Two-Year High Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Costs
International Monetary Fund Warns Chancellor John Healey Against Proposed Bank Tax Raid
Northern Ireland Secures Favorable Agricultural Export Agreement with European Union
Scottish Government Approves Major Offshore Floating Wind Farm Near Aberdeenshire
High Speed Two Rail Project Faces Three Billion Pound Cost Escalation on Initial Phase
National Health Service Warns of Winter Capacity Crisis Across English Hospitals
×