THERESA May says it is a generous offer, Jeremy Corbyn says it is too little too late, but the real question is what EU nationals will make of it. The plan, according to the PM, is that EU nationals living in the UK for at least five years will be granted so-called settled status and be able to stay after Brexit.
Outlining the plan, Mrs May said it was designed to put the anxiety of EU nationals at rest, but the truth is it raises more questions than it answers. We already know that even the prospect of Brexit has had a negative effect - there has been a 96 per cent drop in EU nurses registering to work in Britain and there is nothing in Mrs May’s plan that is likely to reverse that.
There is also uncertainty over what will happen to those who come to the UK after the cut-off date for eligibility. The Government says those in this category will be given two years to regularise their status but it is hard to see what certainty is being offered to a Polish couple, for example, who arrive after the cut-off date and start a family. The truth is they may stop coming.
Mrs May’s plan is also predicated on the idea that the door will be closed at some point and that will be disastrous for Scotland, which needs immigration. Mrs May says her plan is generous. But a true indication of her generosity would be to offer Scotland a chance to form a deal of its own.
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