MPs vote against motion protecting right of EU nationals to live and work in UK after Brexit MPs have voted against a motion protecting the right of EU nationals to live and work in the UK after Brexit. The […]

MPs have voted against a motion protecting the right of EU nationals to live and work in the UK after Brexit.

The House voted 293 to 250 against the SNP’s motion after it was debated on Wednesday.

The vote is not legally binding but the debate is symbolic of the question mark over the future of EU nationals in the UK after the formal divorce from the union in 2019.

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On Thursday, campaign group OpenBritain announced that 27,000 people had written to Prime Minister Theresa May to call on the UK Government and other European nations to guarantee the rights of EU nationals in the UK and UK nationals in the EU.

Rights of EU nationals motion “That this House recognises the contribution that nationals from other countries in the EU have made to the UK; and calls on the Government to ensure that all nationals from other countries in the EU who have made the UK their home retain their current rights, including the rights to live and work in the UK, should the UK exit the EU.”

The motion, a proposal put forward for debate in the House of Commons, was moved by Shadow SNP Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson Joanna Cherry. She said the status of EU nationals after the referendum was “still unclear”.

“That is simply not good enough,” she said during the debate, adding that “human beings should not be used as bargaining chips in negotiation”. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox previously described EU nationals living in the UK as “cards” in Brexit negotiations.

The debate, which also covered the rise in hate crime following the EU referendum, was described as “artificial” by Conservative MP Ken Clarke, who said he did not know of any MPs who wanted to remove EU nationals lawfully in the UK or European politicians who wanted to remove British nationals.

It was also criticised for not seeking to protect the rights of British expats elsewhere in the EU.

‘Impossible to support motion’

Responding to the debate on behalf of the Government, immigration minister Robert Goodwill said the Government had “aspirations” to protect the interests of EU citizens in the UK.

“They make a vital contribution to important aspects of our economy and public services, not least in the NHS and care sector,” he added.

But Mr Goodwill said he did not think the motion being discussed went far enough because it did not call for the rights of British citizens living and working in the EU to be protected.

“It is impossible for us to support the motion, because that reassurance is not contained in it,” he said.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the EU Robin Walker urged MPs to vote against the motion because it did not recognise that “the UK and the EU would like to maintain a close and friendly relationship”.

“The Government are confident that we will work together and that EU and British citizens will be protected through a reciprocal agreement,” he said.