Theresa May DROPS the £65 fee for EU nationals to stay in the UK

Theresa May DROPS the £65 fee for EU nationals who want to stay in Britain post Brexit as she desperately tries to woo MPs with her Plan B

  • Home Office warned EU nationals they had to pay £65 fee to be allowed to stay 
  • But the PM declared the fee would be dropped after a campaign by EU nationals 
  • Theresa May made the promise as she addressed MPs on her Brexit Plan B today

EU nationals who want to stay in Britain after Brexit will not have to pay the controversial £65 application fee, Theresa May today revealed.

The Government was bombarded with criticism after producing a video telling European they will be slapped with the fee if they planned to stay in the UK.

But the Prime Minister today revealed she is dropping the controversial fee – as she desperately tried to woo MPs with her Brexit Plan B.

She told the House of Commons today she decided to make the screeching U-turn after MPs spoke ‘powerfully’ against the plan.

The PM’s announcement came as Home Office officials today launch the next phase of their project to confirm the status of EU nationals hoping to stay in the UK.

EU nationals who want to stay in Britain after Brexit will not have to pay the controversial £65 application fee, Theresa May (pictured in the Commons today) said


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She said: ‘Having listened to concerns from members and organisations like the 3 Million Group I can confirm today that when we roll out the scheme in full on 30 March the Government will waive the application fee so that there is no financial barrier for any EU nationals who wish to stay.  

‘And anyone who has or will apply during the pilot phase will have their fee reimbursed. More details about how this will work will be made available in due course.

Ministers ‘could ask queen to block’ MPs’ law delaying Brexit 

Ministers could urge the Queen to block a bid by MPs to delay or cancel Brexit, a constitutional expert warned today.

Remainers from across parties are launching a bid to seize control of Parliamentary business from the government so they can rule out a no-deal departure from the EU. 

But Sir Stephen Laws, who used to be the government’s legislation chief and now works at the Policy Exchange think-tank, said there was a risk of the monarch being asked to ‘veto’ the plan.  

‘It could raise a question whether the government would be entitled or might feel required to reassert its constitutional veto by advising the Queen not to grant royal assent to the bill,’ he said.

‘How should the monarch react to such advice? The answer is not straightforward and the prospect of it needing to be considered in a real life political crisis is unthinkably awful.

‘It is a sacred duty of all UK politicians not to involve the monarch in politics. They have a constitutional responsibility to resolve difficulties between themselves in accordance with the rules, and so as not to call on the ultimate referee.’

‘Some EU member states have similarly guaranteed the rights of British nationals in a no deal scenario – and we will step up our efforts to ensure that they all do so.’ 

Her words were met with big cheers from MPs who had packed into the Commons Chamber today to hear the PM’s latest statement on Brexit.

Number Ten was under huge pressure over the application fee, which critics said placed on unfair financial burden on some EU nationals who have made their life in Britain.

And late last year the Home Office was slammed for producing a a ‘cheery’ video warning European about the fee.    

Mike Cherry, national chairman of the Federation of small Businesses, said: ‘The commitment to abolish the £65 settled status fee will have many EU workers, their families and the small businesses that employ them, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

‘It is a clear signal that the Government recognises the contribution and value that EU workers, from the self-employed to care workers to engineers, provide small businesses and the UK economy. 

‘We have been campaigning hard for this and the move will go a long way to easing concerns around a mass skills exodus of EU workers that would only serve to widen already existing skills gaps among small businesses.

‘This positive step cannot, however, act as smoke and mirrors hiding the lack of a clear plan to steer us away from a chaotic no deal Brexit on the 29th of March that would be so damaging for many in the UK’s small business community.’

He added: ‘Time is nearly up – we need action now to secure a pro-business deal that delivers the security of a transition period and avoids the chaos of a No Deal Brexit nine weeks from now. All we are being given is more political uncertainty.

‘We are calling on politicians of all stripes to come together to urgently find a way forward from this alarming Brexit stalemate.’ 

Mrs May announced the fee was dropped as she unveiled her Brexit Plan B to MPs – with just 67 days to go until the UK’s exit.

She lashed out at Jeremy Corbyn for refusing to join Brexit talks – as she insisted she will not rule out leaving the EU without a deal.

The Prime Minister said the only way to guarantee the UK will not crash out was passing her deal, or revoking Article 50.

She insisted she was focused on winning concessions from the EU that could secure support from MPs, but also dismissed calls for the Brexit date to be delayed. 

Theresa May unveiled her Brexit Plan B today – but leading backbenchers Yvette Cooper and Dominic Grieve have tabled attempts to delay Brexit and let the House of Commons seize control of the negotiations

And she said she believed there was no majority in the Commons for a second referendum – insisting Remainers will have to ‘think again’ if she is right. 

The PM has been scrambling to find a way through after her deal was humiliatingly crushed in the Commons last week.

But in a statement to MPs this afternoon Mrs May suggested rather than focus on forging a cross-party consensus she will attempt to bring Brexiteer rebels and the DUP back onside. 

Mrs May conceded there was ‘widespread concern about the possibility of the UK leaving without a deal’.

‘There are those on both sides of the House who want the Government to rule this out,’ she said.

‘But we need to be honest with the British people about what that means.

‘The right way to rule out No Deal is for this House to approve a deal with the European Union. That is what this Government is seeking to achieve.

‘The only other guaranteed way to avoid a No Deal Brexit is to revoke Article 50 – which would mean staying in the EU.’  

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