Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to guarantee the rights in the UK of citizens of other EU member states who had been in resident in the UK for less than (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five years on 23 June 2016.

The Government has repeatedly stated that there will be no immediate changes in the circumstances of European nationals and their family members entering or currently residing in the UK. We have published guidance on gov.uk which makes this clear.

The Government want to be able to guarantee the legal status of EU nationals who are living in the UK, and we are confident that we will be able to do this. But we must also win the same rights for British nationals living in European countries, and it will be a priority for the Government to achieve those things together.

As part of this process, the Home Secretary will continue to work closely with colleagues across Whitehall and the Government will engage with relevant stakeholders.

Article 70 of the Vienna Convention applies to States only. It does not create rights for individuals. Nevertheless, we would expect to deal with the rights of EU nationals already living in the UK and the rights of UK citizens living in other EU member states as part of the UK’s exit negotiations.