Recent weeks have seen many Brexit Freedom of Movement headlines and increasing rhetoric. The PM's Florence speech on 22 September 2017 may prove to be a watershed.
There was no mention of those EU Nationals holding Permanent Residence being required to convert to Settled Status, a cornerstone of the Government's proposal published on 26 June 2017. Indeed, the PM's commitment to incorporate any agreement on EU Citizens' rights into UK law suggests that this aspect may be jettisoned. A mandatory requirement to register, for EU Nationals who arrive in the UK post 29 March 2019, offers scant consolation to Brexiteers.
The leaked draft Home Office document on 5 September 2017 asserted that Freedom of Movement would end on 29 March 2019. Not so, said the PM in Florence. Rather, the status quo, that is to say Freedom of Movement, will continue for a transitional period until at least 29 March 2021.
The Florence speech was more conciliatory both in tone and substance. Yet the uncertainty over EU Citizens' rights in the UK post Brexit persists.
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