EU Nationals: UK Residence

Fiona Mactaggart Excerpts

Monday 4th July 2016 Commons Chamber

[James Brokenshire]

Yes, I can. My hon. Friend makes reference to the new unit that has been established, and this is certainly seen as an early item in that work.

[Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab)]

Is the Minister aware that his remarks and the remarks of the Home Secretary have created real insecurity among a number of people, who are now seeking to become British and who are perfectly qualified for British citizenship? The Minister is about to make hundreds of thousands of pounds of profit from those applications. What is he going to do right now to cut the cost of becoming British, or at least to make it happen faster and more efficiently, for the many European citizens who will become British because they are so unsure of their own future?

[James Brokenshire]

I do not accept that my comments or the comments of the Home Secretary have in any way added to the uncertainty that the right hon. Lady has pointed to. The Prime Minister said clearly that nothing changes while we remain a member of the European Union. Obviously, we need to make decisions for the future, and that will be for the next Prime Minister.