Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2018
With those closing remarks, I am sure that the whole of the Parliament will speak with one voice. Tens of thousands of European citizens live in Glasgow, the city which I represent, and more than 220,000 live across Scotland. The minister is absolutely right to say—and I agree with him—that they are our friends, colleagues, partners and neighbours; they work in education, health, banking, finance, manufacturing, hospitality and construction; and they enrich our universities, our workplaces and our communities.
Ever since the June 2016 referendum, the United Kingdom Government has been clear about how important it is to secure the rights of EU citizens in the United Kingdom and of UK nationals in EU member states. It has been the first priority in bilateral negotiations between the UK and the EU, and a priority that has been repeatedly stated by the Prime Minister. For example, in her Lancaster house speech in January 2017, Theresa May said:
“We will continue to attract the brightest and the best to work or study in Britain – indeed openness to international talent must remain one of this country’s most distinctive assets – but that process must be managed properly so that our immigration system serves the national interest.”