‘Write to Remain’ movement helps people email PM amid fears EU nationals will be used as bargaining chips in negotiations

A new cross-party campaign will seek to bombard Theresa May with letters asking her to guarantee the right of EU nationals to stay in the UK.

The “Write to Remain” movement launched a website on Thursday to help people email May to press her for an explicit commitment on the rights of European nationals living in Britain and UK nationals living in other member states at the prime minister’s first Brussels summit next week.

May has only said that she hopes to guarantee the rights of EU citizens as long as the rights of UK citizens in the rest of the EU are protected.

Her trade secretary, Liam Fox, has come in for criticism for suggesting that the fate of EU citizens in the UK is one of the main cards held by Britain in its negotiations in a sign they could be treated as bargaining chips.

The campaign, backed by leading politicians such as Chuka Umunna, trade unionists, a moderate Tory pressure group, business people and thinktanks, said the prime minister should honour the commitment made by the official Vote Leave group during the referendum campaign that all EU citizens currently resident in the UK would be allowed to stay.

Organised by two groups, Open Britain and CommonGround, it calls on May to “show that neither EU nationals here nor Brits living on the continent are second-class citizens who will be used as pawns in the upcoming Brexit negotiations”.

Umunna, a leading supporter of Open Britain, which campaigns to keep the UK in the single market, said the summit next week was the “perfect chance” to strike a deal to guarantee the rights of EU citizens.

“EU nationals here and Brits living in the rest of the EU are people, not pawns to be used in Brexit negotiations,” he said.

“EU citizens living here make an enormous contribution to our economy and our society and they and their families deserve to be given categorical assurances without further worrying delay.”

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, added: “EU citizens living in the UK are our friends, neighbours, and workmates. They might be your doctor or your child’s teacher. It’s immoral to keep them in limbo, and inhuman to treat them as bargaining chips.

“The public believes they deserve to stay, and Brits living on the continent need a guarantee they can stay too. So we call on the prime minister to do the right thing and sign a joint commitment to the right to remain.”

The call was echoed by Terry Scuoler, chief executive of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, who said businesses needed certainty that their staff could stay in Britain.

“It’s simply the right thing for Britain and other EU member states to end the game-playing on this issue and reassure people that their status is not up for negotiation.”

