According to a report published in The Olive Press, an English language newspaper published in Spain, Theresa May has warned her fellow UK citizens that more than one million of them could lose the right to live in other EU countries, when the UK leaves the European Union following the Brexit referendum.
Some three million EU citizens, who combined contribute around £3 billion in tax and income to the UK’s treasury, while only claiming £500 million in benefits every year, face deportation, if they try to remain in the UK after Britain leaves the EU, according to warnings issued by Ms May, a party favourite to follow David Cameron as Conservative Party leader.
She may currently refuse to confirm the possibility of deportation of all those who have paid into UK pension schemes, have established businesses and have made substantial investments in Britain, but the mere fact that she has been openly talking about deportation of EU citizens, when all other European countries are bending over backwards to accommodate desperate Brits applying in the thousands for Irish and other EU nationalities’ passports so they can remain European citizens, is rather sad and telling.
Many Brits are desperate to remain European Citizens
Meanwhile, British expats living in Spain are petitioning the Spanish authorities to allow them to apply for dual nationality.
Theresa May said that “at the moment we are still a member of the EU and the arrangements still continue, so there is no change to their position currently. But, of course, as part of the negotiations we will need to look at this question of people who are here in the UK from the EU.”
“I want to ensure that we are able to not just guarantee a position for those people, but guarantee a position for British citizens who are over in other member states, in other countries in Europe, and living there,” she continued. What’s important is there will be a negotiation here as to how we deal with that issue of people who are already here and who have established a life here and Brits who have established a life in other countries within the European Union. The position at the moment is as it has been, there’s no change at the moment, but of course we have to factor that into negotiations.”
Done Deal Brits have to endure now
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Nick Clegg’s wife said that people need to stop being in denial and “wake up and smell the coffee on Brexit”. Her husband’s party is campaigning on a promise of an EU referendum re-run, based on how many people have now woken up to the realities of what will happen, when the UK leaves the EU.
As more and more disadvantages are making the headlines in the immediate wake of Brexit referendum results, Nick Clegg’s wife recommends that everybody needs to get on fast with the changes to move forward. Mr Clegg’s Spanish EU trade lawyer, Miriam Gonzalez, said she is very upset by the result, comparing it to a “slow motion car crash”, but stated she has no time for those who think there can be another vote.
“What I see in business is half of the people are in denial mode, they are hoping something can reverse this. I think it would be much better if everybody accepts this is going to happen, so let’s be practical.”
Miriam Gonzales is a Spanish citizen who has negotiated top-level trade deals between the World Trade Organisation and the EU. She stated that the UK must move forward quickly to build bilateral trade deals – who those deals should be made with, Ms Gonzales did not mention. But wouldn’t savvy business leaders have exploited those markets already, if they were worth exploiting?
“We need to be ruthless and focus on top priorities,” she said. She believes the UK government needs to pull together and “wake up and smell the coffee, instead of squabbling over internal leadership elections. The government now needs to “calm the people” Miriam Gonzales said.
For the more than 50,000 British expats living in Malaga Province, there may well be confusing times ahead. However, the Spanish authorities at least have stated firmly, how much they value British investment in property and British tourism, and how they will try to do the best they can to accommodate Brits who want to live in Spain, after the UK has formally exited the European Union.
Anyone contemplating the purchase of a permanent home in Marbella or elsewhere at the Costa del Sol should contact their embassy to find out what the situation is for new arrivals in Spain. Work and residency permits may be required in future for British people not already living in Spain.