Brexit
white paper spells out need for new immigration laws
Brexit
secretary David Davis releases document highlighting need for new
laws on immigration and customs systems after UK leaves EU
Rowena Mason and
Heather Stewart
Thursday 2 February
2017 21.46 GMT
David Davis failed
to placate Conservative rebels concerned about the status of European
Union migrants and other Brexit details, despite publishing a 77-page
white paper setting out the government’s plans for leaving the EU.
The Brexit secretary
presented to parliament further details on the government’s
approach, and promised that there have to be specific legislation to
define the UK’s immigration and customs policy after the divorce is
concluded.
Introducing it to
the Commons, Davis said the UK’s “best days are still to come”
outside the EU and promised a close relationship with the rest of
Europe. He also said the UK would do its best to avoid a “cliff-edge”
effect.
“A never-ending
transitional status is emphatically not what we need, not what we
seek,” he said. “But a phased process of implementation of new
arrangements – whether immigration controls, customs systems, the
way we operate and cooperate on criminal and civil justice matters,
on future regulatory and legal frameworks of business will be
necessary for both sides.”
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But there was no
development on the future legal status of EU nationals living in the
UK or British expats abroad, after the white paper said it had “not
proven possible” to reach agreement on future rights with the
European Union.
While some Tory
backbenchers welcomed the reassurances in the document several said
they remained worried about the future for EU citizens living in the
UK – and asked what would happen at the end of the two year
negotiation period.
In the House of
Commons, Theresa Villiers, the former cabinet minister and Brexit
campaigner, was one of those who asked for greater certainty,
highlighting the case of a constituent, an EU national who has
cancer.
Villiers said she
was “very anxious to be able to give her certainty as soon as
possible that she will continue to have access to the NHS”. She
told the Guardian she would “keep making the point over and over
again in parliament because on both sides of the house everyone is
agreed to that our main objective is to see EU citizens already
resident continuing to enjoy all the rights they have at present”.
Nigel Evans, a Tory
MP and leave supporter, said it was a “form of mental torture and
trauma” for EU leaders not to agree to a deal securing the rights
of EU nationals in the UK and UK nationals in the EU. “Will he
redouble his efforts to get this deal done as quickly as possible and
make the announcement as quickly as possible?” Evans asked.
MPs have tabled more
than 150 pages of amendments to the government bill authorising
ministers to trigger Brexit, which will be debated when the
legislation reaches its committee stage in the House of Commons next
week.
Harriet Harman has
drafted an amendment that would guarantee the rights of EU citizens
already living in Britain that has already won the support of more
than 30 MPs, including former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg.
Speaking in the
Commons yesterday on the issue of EU citizens’ rights, Davis said
there was “no question that this is not going to happen”, arguing
it was simply a matter of the timing of a joint announcement by all
EU member states. He said it was clear that nobody would be “throwing
people out of Britain” as a result of the Brexit deal.
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The white paper,
entitled The United Kingdom’s Exit From and New Partnership With
the European Union, was published a day after MPs voted
overwhelmingly to permit May to press ahead with starting withdrawal
negotiations.
It contained a
number of new policy suggestions including potential dispute
resolution mechanisms for a trade deal with the EU, which could see a
new arbitration system set up.
In an introduction
to the report, May said the UK does “not approach these
negotiations expecting failure, but anticipating success”.
Behind the scenes, a
number of senior Tories, from both the leave and remain camps, are
pressing No 10 to unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU citizens to
remain in the UK but the government has not yet relented, given the
lack of an EU-wide deal. They are also calling for a stronger role
for parliament throughout the two-year negotiation process.
Anna Soubry, who was
a key figure in persuading May to publish the white paper, said she
trusted the prime minister to act on the status of EU nationals as
soon as possible; but would be studying possible amendments on what
she called the “end-game”.
“My concern is
that if we get a deal, we get a vote in parliament; but if we don’t
get a deal, the government has a very serious problem”, she said.
Labour backbencher
Helen Goodman has tabled an amendment on whether the government must
come back to parliament if no deal has been secured at the end of two
years – something many EU experts believe is likely.
Neil Carmichael, a
Tory backbencher opposing a hard Brexit, said he was still thinking
about whether to back any amendments to the bill, and would continue
to press the government to consult parliament regularly.
”I think it is
really important parliament has a role during the next two years
because I feel this is a much more complex issue than the white paper
acknowledges. We are vulnerable to events and parliament will need to
respond in an appropriate and measured way. I think nothing less than
pretty regular updates is appropriate,” he said.
Carmichael said he
would not rule out backing the amendment on the rights of EU
nationals as it was not fair to “leave people spinning in the
wind”.
“The mood within
the house is that we have set sail in a very stormy situation and
many of us will have to contribute to the debate as it proceeds in
the long term,” he said.
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