One sometimes wonders what world Theresa May and The Telegraph live in. In a bizarre piece (HERE), she "promises" the free movement of EU citizens will "end" on March 29th next year. I assume this is a misreading or misunderstanding of the actual position. It will NOT end until December 2020.
The writer quotes the PM saying the question of citizen's rights had been dealt with in the phase I talks. She either doesn't understand or is deliberately confusing and conflating things.
The BBC report HERE is a bit more nuanced. She does not quite commit, as The Telegraph claim, to ending FoM but she does try to suggest they won't get the same residency rights. This is quite a different thing. And more, she only says she will "resist" EU demands during the phase II negotiations for FoM as it is today, to continue during the transition. It is hardly a "guarantee" or even a promise.
This will be a fascinating argument. The clock is still ticking and we have weeks to get this question settled. If May pushes the argument, talks on the trading relationship framework won't start in April and we will have less time, just a a few months to finalise an agreement, which Barnier said the other day must be ready by the end of October and not the end of the year as Davis wants.
Persisting in wanting to waste time negotiating a bespoke transition period, simply to smooth over the nutters on the right of the Tory party, will damage what little goodwill exists and create far more problems - and we will almost certainly concede the issue eventually anyway.
An Irish MEP was on Radio 4 this morning saying the EU guidelines was for the agreement on citizen's rights would take effect from the END of the transition period, not the start. She said it is another example of UK cherry picking and Mrs May is really trying to placate the brextremists.
