The British government has been accused of failing to protect the rights of British and EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as Michel Barnierreiterated that he would not renegotiate the agreement currently on the table.
Amid demands in Westminster for the prime minister to be sent back to Brussels to seek more concessions from the EU, the bloc’s chief negotiator told a conference of regional leaders: “I must say once again today, calmly and clearly, it is the only and best possible agreement.”
Barnier said: “Everybody needs to do their bit, everybody needs to take on the responsibility. The British parliament will be voting on this in the next few days. This has serious implications for the future of the country.”
He said a no-deal Brexit remained a possibility, and urged regional leaders and business to speed up their preparations for such an outcome.
A Home Office plan for EU citizens’ rights in the UK after a no-deal Brexit, published on Thursday, has been criticised for letting down both EU citizens living in the UK and British citizens on the continent.
The European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium, said the offer was a “watered-down” version of the terms agreed in the withdrawal agreement.
He said: “EU and UK citizens cannot be the victims of a no-deal Brexit, nor used as bargaining chips in the Brexit negotiations. In the case of no deal, the European parliament and I have been clear that we want the citizens’ rights deal that has been provisionally agreed to be ringfenced and the EU must honour this. The citizens’ rights deal shouldn’t be watered down as the UK has today proposed.”
EU leaders have previously said the manner in which the British government treats their citizens will be reflected in the hurdles that face UK nationals living on the continent.
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