Despite a relentless media campaign against migrants, voters think the three million EU nationals living in the UK should be able to stay indefinitely.
Until now, we’ve heard lots of pledges about EU citizens’ ‘right to stay’ in the UK after Brexit – but little about what the public think.
The assumption, in what has traditionally been a political atmosphere hostile to immigrants, could be that British voters want a much stricter system for EU nationals.
Today Labour table an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, arguing that the withdrawal agreement must “ensure that any citizens of any EU Member State who are lawfully resident in the UK on any day before exit day can continue to be lawfully resident after exit day on terms no less favorable than they currently enjoy.”
It’s unlikely to get government support, amid battles over Parliament’s role in EU withdrawal. But MPs should take note – voters don’t want to make life difficult for EU nationals. Quite the opposite.
Fresh BMG Research polling for Left Foot Forward shows that 50% of those with a view believe EU nationals living here should be given the right to remain indefinitely.
It compares to 44% who think they should apply for a visa, and a depressing but thankfully small 6% who believe they should ‘go back’ to their country of origin.
David Davis said yesterday that he would be “working closely with the European Parliament in the next phase” of talks “including on a top shared priority” of citizens rights. If he wants to give genuine security to EU nationals here, he’ll have the public on side.
Leading Open Britain supporter Chris Bryant MP told Left Foot Forward:
“Today’s figures clearly show public support for preserving the existing rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
“The three million EU citizens living in this country contribute huge amounts to our society: they are our colleagues, our neighbours, our friends and our families. Many of them work in public services including the NHS, which would struggle terribly without them.
“The government should have guaranteed their rights months ago, but instead they have dragged out the uncertainty and caused untold worry, and they have still failed to fully resolve the issue. David Davis recently confirmed that ‘no deal means no deal’, meaning if we crash out without a deal, millions of people would be left in legal limbo.
“It’s time to end the uncertainty and immediately guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, as well as UK citizens living in the EU.”
The findings follow a pledge from Theresa May’s that EU citizens would be able to stay after Brexit. But a report released today suggests hundreds of thousands could find it impossible to apply due to problems with documentation, the Guardian reports. Is it really a right to stay if thousands are excluded due to bureaucracy?
Eloise Todd, CEO of Best for Britain, said:
“EU citizens who have made their home in the UK and have made our country a better and more vibrant place. It is wrong for the government to have used these people as nothing more than negotiating pawns over the last few months.
“This poll has shown British common sense; people want EU citizens to stay. We all know the contribution that EU citizens make day in day out to our public services like the NHS and social care.
“The government needs to give these people indefinite leave to remain and they should do that today.”
Let’s hope that British common sense prevails.
Josiah Mortimer is Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter.
See also: MPs should have vote on Brexit deal and divorce bill, say public
Source note: BMG interviewed a representative sample of 1,509 adults living in Great Britain between 5th and 8th December. Data are weighted. BMG are members of the British polling council and abide by their rules. Full details here.
One Response to “REVEALED: Brits say EU citizens should have the ‘right to remain’ after Brexit”
Mike
If you ask the same question but include uk citizens also being allowed to stay in the eu those polling numbers rise to over 90% for all citizens being allowed to stay unconditionally (icm poll, august 2016). There is overwhelming support for eu nationals to stay. Where there is division is over whether that should be tied to the treatment of uk citizens in the eu.
On the ‘pawns’ issue, several witnesses to select committees have stated that the uk asked the eu to resolve citizens rights in a separate agreement that could be done independently and earlier than the withdrawal agreement. It was the eu that refused.