British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the inaugural meeting of the UK-China CEO Council at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Mark Schiefelbein/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May wants to negotiate a deal with the European Union on changing the rights for EU citizens arriving in Britain during a transition phase after that period ends, her spokesman said on Thursday.

“Anyone who comes to the UK before March 2019 will have the rights as set out in the December deal. Anyone who comes after that period will have the same rights as now during the implementation period,” the spokesman said.

“During the implementation period, we’ll introduce a registration scheme for new arrivals,” he added.

“The ongoing rights of those people who arrived during the implementation period following the end of that period are a matter for negotiation. The PM was clear that those rights would be different from those who came before.”