It has been two weeks since the last update as I have been away, but nothing much has happened. The Brexit bill is still being debated in the House of Lords. The bill has passed its first and second reading in the house, as these stages went ahead, as usual, with no vote. Now though, the bill is in the committee stage and will be subjected to debate and scrutiny for the next couple of weeks. As expected, things are not going quite as smoothly as they did in the Commons. Bloomberg is reporting that insider sources claim that the government is setting aside time for a potential parliamentary battle over changes to the bill. Two amendments in particular stand a chance of entering the ping-pong process with the Commons: first, one which would guarantee the right to live and work in the UK to all EU citizens currently residing here, and a second which would legally bind a vote for parliament on the final deal. Both of the amendments are garnering cross-party support and May's team have been told to expect a final vote on the bill on March 13th, with Article 50 set to be triggered on March 15th.
The Telegraph reported this weekend that Theresa May is next month expected to announce that freedom of movement for new EU migrants will end once we leave the bloc at the same time as Article 50 is invoked. It is likely that this will mean that the automatic right to remain for any EU citizens coming to the UK after A50 is triggered will not be guaranteed, and that when we officially exit the EU, a new migration policy will be in place. The Home Office is looking at options for a new regime, which might include a visa system and restricted access to welfare, but the specifics will be decided upon in conjunction with the A50 negotiations. The thinking behind the announcement is that it might avoid a rush of new migration before the door closes (or becomes harder to open, at least), but whether this will be the case remains to be seen. There are other concerns too, is our border force up to the job of actually policing any significant regime change? For us to retroactively alter the rights of anyone arriving after A50 is invoked will require us to have a comprehensive list of exactly who all those people are - something I'm not confident the Home Office is currently prepared for. Furthermore, what exactly do we plan to do with those that arrive here if their right to remain is not granted once outside the EU? Of course, at this stage we are still in negotiating tactics land, and the final outcome of these policies is anything but set in stone.
Finally, ourselves and Pearson financial consultants have recorded the first Last Week In Brexit podcast, a new weekly half-hour chat between three interlopers into this brave new world. The first should go live this week, so watch this space.
alex.davies@gmchamber.co.uk
@GMCC_Alex
The Telegraph reported this weekend that Theresa May is next month expected to announce that freedom of movement for new EU migrants will end once we leave the bloc at the same time as Article 50 is invoked. It is likely that this will mean that the automatic right to remain for any EU citizens coming to the UK after A50 is triggered will not be guaranteed, and that when we officially exit the EU, a new migration policy will be in place. The Home Office is looking at options for a new regime, which might include a visa system and restricted access to welfare, but the specifics will be decided upon in conjunction with the A50 negotiations. The thinking behind the announcement is that it might avoid a rush of new migration before the door closes (or becomes harder to open, at least), but whether this will be the case remains to be seen. There are other concerns too, is our border force up to the job of actually policing any significant regime change? For us to retroactively alter the rights of anyone arriving after A50 is invoked will require us to have a comprehensive list of exactly who all those people are - something I'm not confident the Home Office is currently prepared for. Furthermore, what exactly do we plan to do with those that arrive here if their right to remain is not granted once outside the EU? Of course, at this stage we are still in negotiating tactics land, and the final outcome of these policies is anything but set in stone.
Finally, ourselves and Pearson financial consultants have recorded the first Last Week In Brexit podcast, a new weekly half-hour chat between three interlopers into this brave new world. The first should go live this week, so watch this space.
alex.davies@gmchamber.co.uk
@GMCC_Alex
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