Bath for Europe

Earlier in July Bath’s MP Wera Hobhouse called out the government’s hostile treatment of EU citizens. Drawing on her personal experience as a European who has made her home here for decades she highlighted the human cost of Brexit and called for physical proof of settled status for EU citizens.

She said, “The Government must show that they are serious about the rights of EU citizens and, at the very least, provide them with physical proof of status to prevent discrimination. Many EU citizens, including constituents in Bath, are struggling with the untried, untested digital-only status, and 89% have expressed unhappiness about a lack of physical proof. It is incomprehensible that the Government are still not listening to them”.

She concluded, “Europe is a continent with few barriers between countries, where academic, business and private life is shared across non-existent borders. The UK is no longer part of this open Europe. Those with choices, those with skills and qualifications, the best and especially the young—those the Government want to attract—have already moved or will move and not return. This is the tragedy of my adopted country.”

Her speech in parliament can be viewed on Twitter.

As a European migrant myself, I feel the pain and sadness of all the EU citizens who now feel insecure in our country – the place we call home.

Government must make good on its promises to EU citizens and, at the very least, provide them with physical proof of Settled Status 👇 pic.twitter.com/ddcQJi5s5s

— Wera Hobhouse MP 🔶 (@Wera_Hobhouse) July 12, 2021