Britons living in EU countries must have their rights protected after Brexit, scores of MPs said in a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk.

The letter, backed by 80 parliamentarians including 70 Tory MPs, calls for an early agreement on reciprocal rights for British citizens in European Union countries and citizens of those nations living in the UK - saying people should not be used as “bargaining chips” in Brexit negotiations.

The letter, organised by Tories Michael Tomlinson and Steve Baker, calls for the issue to be put on the agenda of the summit of European leaders in December and hits out at the refusal of Brussels officials to allow formal talks on the matter to take place.

Theresa May has said she wants to guarantee EU citizens the right to remain in the UK and has said that the only reason that would not happen is if other European countries do not offer the same privileges to Britons.

The Prime Minister has also indicated she would like the issue resolved at an early stage to end the uncertainty affecting people's lives.

But the MPs said the European Commission was refusing to work on the issue until the formal Brexit process begins with the triggering of Article 50, even though leaders of EU countries backed Mrs May's position.

The Prime Minister has said she will trigger Article 50 by the end of March next year.

In their letter to Mr Tusk ahead of December's European Council summit in Brussels, the MPs highlighted the stance taken by the commission's lead Brexit official Michel Barnier who said in a message on Twitter after talks with Brexit Secretary David Davis there would be “no negotiation without notification”.

The MPs - including former Cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith and John Whittingdale - said: “We warmly welcome the news that individual member states are working with the Prime Minister and Her Majesty's Government to resolve the status of EU citizens in the UK and our citizens living and working in Europe, but we are extremely concerned that members of the commission - particularly commissioner Barnier - seem worryingly indifferent to securing reciprocal rights for our and your resident citizens.

“His attempts to prevent negotiations taking place on this issue between the democratically-elected governments of EU member states are making it harder to achieve what is in everyone's interest: ending the anxiety and uncertainty for UK and EU citizens living in one another's territories.

“It is the only just and humane thing to do and anything else would be unworthy of Europe's common values.

“People are not bargaining chips. Human beings are not cards to be traded 'tit for tat' in a political playground.”

The letter's author Mr Tomlinson, deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG), said: “At the October meeting of the European Council, Donald Tusk said that there was nothing to discuss about Brexit.

“With respect I disagree with him. People are not bargaining chips. Theresa May wants to secure reciprocal rights for our citizens.

“This letter is a call to Donald Tusk to liberate Theresa May to achieve what is in all of our national interests and to end the anxiety and uncertainty for UK and EU citizens. It must be discussed at the next European Council meeting. But not only discussed, it must be resolved.”

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the “back of the queue” for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned – forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA – because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germany’s top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as “gateway to Europe” for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the Bundesbank—Germany’s central bank—told a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were “equivalent” between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still “miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market”, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEO’s performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterling’s fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

ERG chairman Steve Baker MP said: “Michel Barnier's intransigence is inhumane. It is only compounded by the petulance of his recent tweet.

“He should apologise and immediately agree in principle the continuation of reciprocal rights for resident UK and EU citizens.”