EU citizens

No one seriously believes that the Home Office will be able to grant settled status to everyone who’s eligible within two years. Thousands will be left effectively undocumented and subject to the Conservatives’ Hostile Environment.

Liberal Democrats demand better for the Europeans who’ve made their lives here and contribute so much to our economy, our public services and our society. They must not become the victims of a new Windrush scandal.

Even a perfect Settled Status scheme is merely a fix for something we shouldn’t be giving up: EU free movement. The UK benefits hugely from free movement, from our ability to live, study, work and retire anywhere in the EU to the doctors, nurses, carers and others who come to work here.

68% of people in the UK support EU free movement (according to the latest Eurobarometer survey from June 2019).

We are calling for EU citizens to be given the right to stay in the UK without the need to apply. They should be able to register to get physical documentation of their status, with no arbitrary deadline.

We can avoid this mess altogether, guarantee EU citizens’ rights & preserve the benefits of free movement by stopping Brexit altogether.

We must also abolish the Hostile Environment, including the “Right to Rent” checks that turn landlords into border guards, and have been ruled by the High Court to be discriminatory.