Downing Street plays down suggestions that Theresa May could end the right for EU migrants to stay in Britain after she triggers Article 50 next month
Reports this morning claimed that the Prime Minister was preparing to announce the end of free movement of people for EU migrants on the same day that she formally triggers Brexit
DOWNING Street has slapped down suggestions that Theresa May could end the right for EU migrants to stay after she triggers Article 50 next month.
Reports this morning claimed that the Prime Minister was preparing to announce the end of free movement of people for EU migrants on the same day that she formally triggers Brexit.
was preparing to say that those who come to the UK after she triggered Article 50 could not have the automatic right to stay after Britain formally leaves the bloc.
The cut off date could be around March 15, once the Article 50 Bill which is currently in the Lords, goes through Parliament.
Figures in the EU have been pressuring the Prime Minister to delay the cut-off date until around 2019.
But there are fears that could spark a huge jump in the number of EU migrants coming to the UK before then.
Government figures have also considered suggestions that the cut-off date should be the referendum date last June, but lawyers feared this approach would be illegal.
But Downing Street played down the remarks about a cut-off point this morning.
A spokesperson said that the report was "speculation" and that no decisions had yet been made on a cut-off point.
Mrs May has so far refused to guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK to stay after Brexit - because she wants to get guarantees from other EU countries that expats can stay too.
It it expected to be one of the first things Mrs May wants to sort out once she starts the Brexit talks.
She is considering a range of options - including plans to limit benefits to migrants and carefully controlled visas for key sectors of the economy.
The Home Secretary announced she would be launching a consultation on immigration this year - expected to be over the summer.
She also backed up comments from David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, who admitted that leaving the EU will not automatically shut the door to all workers coming to the UK.
She said that she wanted to avoid any "cliff edge" after quitting the bloc.
Mr Davies had suggested it would take "years and years" for Britain to fill the jobs previously done by migrants.
The Office for National Statistics said net migration had dropped to 273,000, showing the referendum result has deterred some people from coming to Britain.
Some 165,000 EU citizens came to the UK as well as 164,000 non-EU citizens. It is thought this is the first time more people came from the EU than outside of it.