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EU expats in UK aghast at MPs rejection of Upper House amendment
| Published: | 14 Mar at 6 PM |
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A wave of resentment and anger swept across the UK’s EU expat community after MPs voted against the House of Lords’ amendment to May’s Brexit paper.
EU expats flooded social media with their fears and fury after hearing the House of Commons had rejected the Upper House’s amendment unilaterally guaranteeing their post-Brexit rights to remain. Following the Commons vote, hundreds expressed their disgust online in no uncertain terms, saying the government had left them in limbo by continuing to treat them as bargaining chips in the upcoming negotiations.
The amendment voted in by the House of Lords last week aimed to force the government into guaranteeing by means of a proposal the rights of EU citizens in the UK in advance of the triggering of Article 50. In the Commons, the amendment was defeated by a majority of 48, sending the EU expat community into shock.
Founder of the 3Million campaign group Nicolas Hatton told the Independent newspaper he was ‘utterly devastated’ at the result, adding he’d seen the Lords’ amendment as a last chance to ensure EU nationals in the UK were at least treated like human beings.
Following the bad news, the 3Million’s website became a free for all for expressing the anger and anxiety of the huge number affected by the Commons vote.
One poster, Jose Rodriguez-Olveria, shared his disgust by saying he felt sick, both on his own behalf and that of the millions of EU citizens who’d contributed to British society for more than four decades. He added the vote had made UK parliamentarians’ disrespect and disregard for the expat community very clear.
Rodriguez-Olveria said he’d lived, worked and paid tax in the UK for 18 years, and now feels he’s being treated as a ‘pawn in a game of chess’. Another 3Million member, Mo McGregor, wrote that she was too disgusted for words, with EU national Julie Parratt saying she was angry and fed up to find out that EU expats still have no idea about their futures. Marlies Haselton believes the Lords won’t help now, adding the millions of EU expats in the UK are now simply bargaining chips for the rights of UK citizens living in Europe.
Source: the Independent
EU expats flooded social media with their fears and fury after hearing the House of Commons had rejected the Upper House’s amendment unilaterally guaranteeing their post-Brexit rights to remain. Following the Commons vote, hundreds expressed their disgust online in no uncertain terms, saying the government had left them in limbo by continuing to treat them as bargaining chips in the upcoming negotiations.
The amendment voted in by the House of Lords last week aimed to force the government into guaranteeing by means of a proposal the rights of EU citizens in the UK in advance of the triggering of Article 50. In the Commons, the amendment was defeated by a majority of 48, sending the EU expat community into shock.
Founder of the 3Million campaign group Nicolas Hatton told the Independent newspaper he was ‘utterly devastated’ at the result, adding he’d seen the Lords’ amendment as a last chance to ensure EU nationals in the UK were at least treated like human beings.
Following the bad news, the 3Million’s website became a free for all for expressing the anger and anxiety of the huge number affected by the Commons vote.
One poster, Jose Rodriguez-Olveria, shared his disgust by saying he felt sick, both on his own behalf and that of the millions of EU citizens who’d contributed to British society for more than four decades. He added the vote had made UK parliamentarians’ disrespect and disregard for the expat community very clear.
Rodriguez-Olveria said he’d lived, worked and paid tax in the UK for 18 years, and now feels he’s being treated as a ‘pawn in a game of chess’. Another 3Million member, Mo McGregor, wrote that she was too disgusted for words, with EU national Julie Parratt saying she was angry and fed up to find out that EU expats still have no idea about their futures. Marlies Haselton believes the Lords won’t help now, adding the millions of EU expats in the UK are now simply bargaining chips for the rights of UK citizens living in Europe.
Source: the Independent
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