EU Set To Ask UK To Respect Citizens’ Rights After Mistreatment Defamation

 

EU leaders will call on Boris Johnson to respect the rights of their citizens in the wake of scandals over their treatment in the UK, including their detention in removal centers, according to a leaked draft statement seen by the Guardian.

The message to the British prime minister will follow a first discussion of EU-UK relations between the 27 heads of state and government since the ratification of the trade and cooperation agreement struck last Christmas Eve.

“The European Council calls on the UK to respect the principle of non-discrimination among member states and the rights of EU citizens,” the leaders are due to say, adding that the deals agreed with Downing Street must be implemented in full.

There is growing concern within EU capitals over the UK government’s approach to their nationals, including those whose rights are guaranteed by the tortuously negotiated Brexit withdrawal agreement.

A new body set up under the withdrawal agreement to ensure citizens’ rights are upheld after Brexit has said it is “actively considering” statutory action against the Home Office due to the difficulties for EU nationals in the UK who are seeking so-called settled status.

In a statement issued last week, the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements said it was in talks with the Home Office amid reports of concerns over the application process.

It was reported on a series of cases where long-term British citizens, including dual nationals, have received letters sent in error by the Home Office instructing them of the risk of losing the right to work, benefits and free healthcare unless they apply for UK immigration status within weeks.

There have in addition been testimonies from EU nationals with job interviews in the UK who say they were denied entry, locked up and forced to endure the traumatic and humiliating experience of expulsion, despite Home Office rules explicitly allowing non-visa holders to enter in such circumstances.