Theresa May promises Angela Merkel she’ll enshrine EU citizen’s rights
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The Prime Minister has promised German Chancellor Angela Merkel that any exit treaty will enshrine the rights of EU nationals living in the UK.
Such a treaty would prevent British politicians from future changes to the rules affecting the three million EU nationals living in the UK.
Mrs Merkel called on EU negotiators to settle rights issues with Britain “at the earliest opportunity” after a face-to-face meeting with Mrs May at the informal EU summit in Estonia yesterday.
The German Chancellor had previously refused a one-to-one meeting with Mrs May in February, asking that the Prime Minister deal only with negotiators in Brussels.
The proposal was criticised by Eurosceptic Conservative MPs. Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “The rights of EU citizens must evolve in line with the rights of British nationals. To say their rights will be frozen in aspic is not serious and not deliverable.”
Tory MEP David Bannerman said: “We mustn’t go soft on our legal sovereignty and on Westminster being supreme. Having UK courts deciding EU citizens’ rights is sensible.”
