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Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some

Theresa May has acted too late to secure the rights of EU nationals in Britain, say two EU citizens settled in the UK.
Theresa May has acted too late to secure the rights of EU nationals in Britain, say two EU citizens settled in the UK. Theresa May has acted too late to secure the rights of EU nationals in Britain, say two EU citizens settled in the UK.

EU citizens in Britain have long warned Theresa May against using their status as a “bargaining chip” in Brexit negotiations, with many feeling unwelcome in the UK following last year’s referendum.

German national Maike Bohn is the co-founder of the3million forum for EU citizens in the UK and has lived in Britain for 25 years. She is married to a Brit and has worked in the UK her whole adult life, saying she has felt “loved and tolerated” as a Bristol resident.

Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some
Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some (Jane Barlow/PA Wire/PA Images)
Theresa May has offered “settled status” for EU nationals in the UK after Brexit (Jane Barlow/PA)

Yet, she said she felt her identity had been “cast into doubt” post-Brexit, and told the Press Association: “I am sad and angry. I love this country, but it’s come to a deep crisis. I deplore the lack of knowledge about the EU and how it’s been demonised.

“I feel caught up in this and I feel my identity’s been put in question because I’ve always identified as European, and I live in Bristol so part of me is Bristolian. I’m very engaged in Bristol and I vote in local elections. So I feel my identity is cast into doubt because after 2019, potentially my Europeanness is something that is not wanted in the UK. That saddens me.”

The activist, who previously worked as a Higher Education strategy consultant, said she would think twice about moving within the UK, and that a leave or remain vote in a prospective area would be a determining factor in her relocation.

She said: “I see a lot of evidence within the3million group that people are being taunted, that children are being teased at school. I feel fine because I live in Bristol, I live in an urban part of the world where 62% voted remain. But it’s a different picture for people who live in other parts of the UK.”She called for a “lifetime guarantee” of rights for EU citizens in the UK and said: ”If the UK government takes away from our rights, they endanger their citizens in the EU – it’s this tug of war. I really think holding three million people hostage a year ago was not a good opening gambit.“Britain has draconian immigration laws and should take this opportunity to reform it all.”Jakub Krupa is a Polish national who works in the UK as a journalist and writes about the Polish community in Britain. After settling in the UK six years ago, initially as a postgraduate student, he was not able to apply for permanent residence because he did not take out comprehensive sickness insurance (CSI), a condition set out under Home Office rules.He hailed Mrs May’s “settled status” proposal as a “step in the right direction” and said his situation had changed as the CSI requirements had been dropped in the government paper.

Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some
Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some (Niall Carson/PA Wire/PA Images)
Prime Minister Theresa May (Niall Carson/PA)

He said: “It sends a good signal now to people who were worried and the document says it aims to guarantee that EU citizens will be able to stay in the UK and that the procedure will be made as simple as possible, and I think that will be a big relief.”Mr Krupa said there was initially “a lot of mistrust” around the Prime Minster’s proposed deal, and that many Polish citizens he had spoken to expected to be reassured about their status in the UK at an earlier stage.Mr Krupa also voiced concerns from friends who were unsure as to whether they would still be entitled to vote in local elections.He said: “People called me over the weekend, saying “we understand we have no rights to vote in the General Election, that’s fine because that’s for British citizens. But local elections we have the right to vote, so why should we be stripped of it?

Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some
Theresa May has finally set out her plan for EU citizens in Britain, but it's too late for some
Jakub Krupa (Jakub Krupa/Twitter)

“We live here, we pay council tax and so on. I hope the British government will keep that, but that’s one thing to look out for [in this deal].”The Prime Minister’s offer will guarantee EU citizens who have lived in the UK for five years the same rights as British citizens to healthcare, education, welfare and pensions. However, the plan is contingent on a reciprocal deal for British citizens living in the EU.The plan aims to ease the application process for settled status, which will grant permanent residence to EU nationals “lawfully resident in the UK”, the government paper said.