Unequal treatment during transition “demonising”

The European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt has labelled Theresa May’s key demand over the terms of the transition period after Brexit as a “demonisation” of EU citizens in the UK.

May has insisted on a deal during what she refers to as an "implementation period" which would allow the UK to recognise and differentiate between those who came to the UK prior to the date on which Brexit will become official and those who come thereafter, however the former Belgian prime minister claimed that for the UK government to treat citizens arriving during the 21-month period after 29 March 2019 differently to those already in the country would be unacceptable and he has warned that any such requirement would be rejected by the EU. In making his point, Mr Verhofstadt compared the situation to the provisions that are being drafted for other sectors. As EU rules will not change for financial services or goods but only for citizens, this runs the risk of unacceptably "demonising" them according to Mr Verhofstadt.