THE SNP’s Europe spokesperson has called for clarity from the UK Government over the rights of non-EU citizens in the UK – who currently have the right to remain through EU law – when Britain leaves the European Union.
And Stephen Gethins said it would be “disgraceful” if almost 200 EU nationals working in Parliament – figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests – were forced to leave post-Brexit.
“The Houses of Parliament is a diverse place with staff from all around the world – including in our own SNP offices,” said Gethins. “They work incredibly hard for members across the political spectrum and make Parliament a better place for us all. It would be disgraceful for any of them to have their right to remain affected by the UK leaving the EU.
“The Prime Minister cannot talk about building a fairer and global UK while jeopardising the status and rights of EU citizens who have made the UK their home and contributed to society both socially and economically.”
Theresa May has said she wants the rights of EU citizens in the UK, and Britons on the continent, to be resolved early in the Brexit negotiations. But the Prime Minister has resisted pressure to unilaterally offer guarantees to EU citizens.
Gethins has raised the wider issue with Brexit Secretary David Davis, who has confirmed that the rights of non-EU nationals was still under consideration. EU law allows a worker to bring a spouse of children who lack EU citizenship with them to any member state, including the primary care-givers of British children or dependent adults who, without that carer, would be forced to leave the EU.
An example of these so-called “Zambrano carer” cases would be a Moroccan mother of a French child living in the UK.
However, many of these rights arise from court judgements against the UK Home Office, which has opposed widening the influence of EU law on the country’s migration policy.
Davis has admitted he is not familiar with “Zambrano carer” cases.
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