The number of British people leaving for the EU is at an all-time high. A new study confirms that there has been a large exodus from our shores, to EU member states.
The study conducted by Daniel Tetlow, Oxford in Berlin, also, Daniel Auer, a research fellow at the WZB’s Migration, Integration, Transnationalisation unit, stated that the migration to the EU (from the UK) is at a 10 year all-time high. Nicholas Bishop reports
The study reads:
“OECD figures and national government statistics have shown that the number has risen continuously since 2010 with an exaggerated spike since the Brexit referendum in 2016,”.
Daniel Auer, one of the researchers involved in the study suggests that many Britons have left because of uncertainty. Uncertainty, about the future of the UK once we have left the EU later this year. Also, many Brits already living in EU nations have become citizens of those countries. Of course, it’s not only Brits leaving the UK for the EU but many Europeans going home. That also is caused by the uncertainty of how welcome Europeans living in the UK will feel once we are out of the EU. Other Europeans, however, have been applying for British citizenship. Home Office figures show that 3.5 million EU nationals resident in the UK has applied for the ‘EU Settlement Scheme’. These figures were published by the Home Office in May, this year.
The ‘EU Settlement Scheme’ was created for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living here. In other words, those wishing to apply for settlement here because they have family and a job here. There is a deadline date for those wishing to take advantage of the scheme, that is December 31. The scheme enables those eligible to continue living here after June 30, 2021.
In Germany, a popular destination for many Brits, 1000 more British people became German citizens in 2017. However, in the rest of the 27 EU nations, British application for citizenship has increased six times, compared to 2015.
Those Brits with dual nationality, however, will have to give this up. This is for Britons living in the EU-27. They will have to give up their duality of nationality and become citizens of the European nation they are residing in.
Last years general election was about, whether we like it or not, Brexit. It was what won Boris Johnson a landslide win. It is easy to say with hindsight had Jeremy Corbyn been more pro-leave, perhaps, the Tories would not have had such a thumping majority. However, Mr Corbyn chose to be right down the middle of the argument and so Labour leave voters punished the Labour party accordingly.
New leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has hit the ground running with ‘YouGov’ giving the Labour leader a surge in popularity. Not since the days of Tony Blair before the ’97 general election has a Labour leader been so popular. Many prefer Sir Keir’s forensic approach in holding Boris to account at ‘Prime Minister Questions’ as opposed to Boris’ bumbling buffoonery.
Sir Keir Starmer, was never an ardent Brexiteer but now has come to terms with the UK leaving the EU. The question has to be asked though was Boris really a hard Brexiteer? Or, was he just playing to the gallery of hard-right Tories and their anti-EU credentials?
Certainly, with the COVID outbreak that has blighted our nation, this has overshadowed trade deal talks with the US. Despite assurances from the Johnson administration that the NHS is not for sale, there remain worries about this issue.
Of all the nations the UK has been negotiating trade deals with it seems the Japanese are very happy to do business with us in the post-EU UK. The UK has also been talking to China, Australia, etc. The question remains though, will the UK secure a trade deal with the EU itself? It appears that the EU is not very impressed by the UK’s lack of “ambition” in getting a trade dea donel with the bloc.
European Commissioner for Trade, Phil Hogan, has said the EU side is willing to show compromise in order for a trade agreement to be realised. Mr Hogan has said the same compromise cannot be seen from the UK side.
Mr Hogan believes a deal is still doable before the UK leaves the EU, at the end of this year. Michel Barnier, EU Chief Negotiator, recently visited the UK to discuss terms encompassing things like a fishery policy in a post-EU-UK. The EU was and still could be a major trade partner should the UK establish a trade deal. That’s not to say though, that any trade deals we do with the US, China, other Commonwealth nations, etc, will not be worth it. The happy medium for the British economy would be to have a viable trade deal with the EU and other important trading nations around the world.
Meanwhile, for those leaving the UK for the EU they have their reasons for doing so. Obviously, as discussed one reason is the uncertainty but what other reasons could there be? Could it be that many are leaving because the UK is in decline and broken?
People are fed up with an incompetent government and their policy of austerity since 2010. A land where the richest in our land have gotten richer and the poorest even poorer. Many former UK citizens have voted with their feet and declared the UK is not for them. Frankly, who can blame them and good luck to them with their new lives in the EU-27.
