Prime Minister Theresa May, known for her hardline stance on Brexit, has offered a sop to UK-based EU citizens by promising to allow them to stay in Britain after the country’s exit from the economic bloc.
The announcement at a Brussels summit on Thursday will come as a relief to an estimated 3 million EU nationals living permanently in the UK, including over 20,000 Goans who had used their Portuguese heritage to apply for EU nationality.
Addressing EU leaders at her first summit since the snap general election that lost her a majority in the UK Parliament, May said she did not want anyone to have to leave or families to split up.
“No one will face a cliff edge,” she said, softening her stance after her disastrous election gamble.
“The UK’s position represents a fair and serious offer, one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society,” she said.