EU citizens should not get special immigration treatment post-Brexit, report says
EU immigrants should not receive preferential treatment after Brexit, according a report published by the government’s migration advisory committee on Tuesday.
The committee told MPs that the country should adopt a system similar to that of Canada, leaving access to the UK labour market an even playing field for the citizens of any other country, but acknowledged that the country may have limited control on immigration policy depending on Brexit negotiations.
The report added that offering special consideration for EU citizens could be a useful bargaining tool in negotiations.
Despite its conclusion that EU citizens should not get special treatment, a study for the committee said European migrants living in the UK contribute £2,300 more to the economy each year than the average adult.
Stephen Jones, chief executive of UK Finance, said: "EEA nationals play a key role in the labour market, bringing vital skills and contributing to the UK’s role as a global leader in financial services. As we leave the EU, it will be crucial for both the finance sector and the wider economy that firms can maintain access to the brightest and best workers from Europe and around the world."
Prime Minister Theresa May hinted on Monday that she does not want different immigration rights for EU citizens while the Times reported on Tuesday that Home Secretary Sajid Javid wants to limit EU immigration.
The committee was set up by then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd to inform the post-Brexit migration policy and shape a white paper that has repeatedly been delayed but is due this autumn.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, said: "This report is a missed opportunity to protect jobs and economic growth that are at grave risk from Theresa May's appallingly mishandled approach to Brexit, and from a government that is only motivated by its ideological and economically illiterate migration target – regardless of the cost to real people."
The report came as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab called on the remaining 27 EU states to be flexible in negotiations ahead of Tuesday's EU meeting in Salzburg, Austria, where Theresa May will pitch her Chequers proposals to the leaders of member states.