LONDON: Britain has announced that European Union nationals will be able to apply for a three-year right to remain in the country in the event of a possible no-deal Brexit.
“After Brexit, EU citizens who move to the UK for the first time will be able to apply for a 36-month temporary immigration status – European Temporary Leave to Remain (TLR),” the government said in a document.
“Applications to the new Euro TLR scheme will be simple and free and will be made after arrival in the UK.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will try to call a snap election after lawmakers seeking to prevent him taking Britain out of the European Union without a divorce deal dealt him a humbling parliamentary defeat.
Parliament’s move leaves Brexit up in the air, with possible outcomes ranging from a turbulent no-deal exit to abandoning the whole endeavour – both outcomes would be unacceptable to swathes of the United Kingdom’s voters.
An alliance of opposition lawmakers backed by 21 rebels from Johnson’s Conservative Party defeated the government on Tuesday on a motion allowing them to try to pass a law which would force a three-month extension to Britain’s EU exit date.
Johnson cast the rebellion as an attempt to surrender to the EU, vowed never to delay Brexit beyond Oct. 31 and said the country needed an election. The government has scheduled a vote on an election after about 1800 GMT on Wednesday.
But opposition parties and rebels in his own party said they would not allow a no-deal Brexit to be “smuggled” through under the cover of an election.
“We’re not going to dance to his tune,” said Keir Starmer, the opposition Labour Party’s point man on Brexit. “It’s obvious what he’s up to. He wants to intercept this bill having lost control of parliament and stop us finishing the task in hand.
“We’re not going to vote with Boris Johnson today to deprive ourselves of the opportunity to complete the business that we’ve just seized control of the house to do,” he said.
The showdown between prime minister and parliament continues on Wednesday with a dizzying array of events planned including a vote on the attempt to block no deal, a vote on Johnson’s election bid and weekly questions to the prime minister.
As the three-year Brexit crisis approaches a crescendo, the United Kingdom was edging towards an election as most British politicians see no other way to break the impasse.
One scenario is for opposition parties to defeat Johnson’s bid for an election until they have passed their bill blocking a no-deal Brexit. Once in law, opposition parties could then agree to an election, possibly on Oct. 15.
“Base case is pre-Brexit election, but not necessarily before the 31st October,” U.S. investment bank Citi said. “No deal risk persists, but now wrapped in a general election.”
