Brexit White Paper:
KEY QUOTES
On 2 February 2017 the UK government published their White Paper on Brexit, titled “The United Kingdom’s exit
from and new partnership with the European Union”. The White Paper explains the twelve principles that will guide
negotiations. This is what it says about immigration.
Maintaining migration flows between the UK and Ireland
“We want to protect the ability to move freely between the UK and Ireland, north-south and east
west, recognising the special importance of this to people in their daily lives.”
An open country that controls migration
“We will remain an open and tolerant country, and one that recognises the valuable contribution
migrants make to our society and welcomes those with the skills and expertise to make our nation
better still. But in future we must ensure we can control the number of people coming to the UK from
the EU.”
Embracing the world
“As we leave the EU and embrace the world, openness to international talent will remain one of our
most distinctive assets.”
A telling emphasis on high skilled migration?
“… we will always want immigration, including from EU countries, and especially high-skilled
immigration and … we will always welcome individual migrants arriving lawfully in the UK as friends.”
Free movement will end
“We will design our immigration system to ensure that we are able to control the numbers of people
who come here from the EU. In future, therefore, the Free Movement Directive will no longer apply
and the migration of EU nationals will be subject to UK law.”
More emphasis on highly skilled people
“We will create an immigration system that allows us to control numbers and encourage the brightest
and the best to come to this country, as part of a stable and prosperous future with the EU and our
European partners.”
And more again
“The UK will always welcome genuine students and those with the skills and expertise to make our
nation better still.”
Concerns from universities seem to have been heard
“The Government also recognises the important contribution made by students and academics from
EU Member States to the UK’s world class universities.”
Is ‘different sectors’ a nod, finally, to lower skilled jobs?
“We are considering very carefully the options that are open to us to gain control of the numbers of
people coming to the UK from the EU. As part of that, it is important that we understand the impacts
on the different sectors of the economy and the labour market.”
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Brexit White Paper: Key Quotes
Businesses and communities will get a say
“We will, therefore, ensure that businesses and communities have the opportunity to contribute their
views.”
Hinting at a regional system?
“Equally, we will need to understand the potential impacts of any proposed changes in all the parts of
the UK. So we will build a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK and
look to develop a system that works for all.”
It might not happen over night
“There may be a phased process of implementation to prepare for the new arrangements. This would
give businesses and individuals enough time to plan and prepare for those new arrangements.”
But it will happen
“For each issue, the time we need to phase in the new arrangements may differ; some might be
introduced very quickly, some might take longer. And the interim arrangements we rely upon are
likely to be a matter of negotiation. The UK will not, however, seek some form of unlimited
transitional status.”
What about British people in Europe and Europeans in the UK?
“We want to secure the status of EU citizens who are already living in the UK, and that of UK nationals
in other Member States, as early as we can.”
We are not talking small numbers
“Around 2.8 million EU nationals were estimated to be resident in the UK, many of whom originate
from Poland. It is estimated that around 1 million UK nationals are long-term residents of other EU
countries, including around 300,000 in Spain. France and Germany also host large numbers of
British citizens.”
Do some EU Member States oppose the idea?
“The Government would have liked to resolve this issue ahead of the formal negotiations. And
although many EU Member States favour such an agreement, this has not proven possible.”
And to conclude
“This Government will make no attempt to remain in the EU by the backdoor .... building a truly global
UK ... a new global UK.”
What doesn’t it say?
Arguably a lot, but that is to be expected before the negotiations even start. It is telling that there is no explicit
mention of access to migrant workers for lower skilled roles.
It is also interesting that Priority 9: Securing new trade agreements with other countries contains no mention
of trade related migration, even in the levers for negotiation. The UK might not be planning to offer up trade
migration but we can be sure that most countries are already considering it.
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Brexit White Paper: Key Quotes