Like millions of people in the UK, my family is being subjected to mental torture by the government. My husband is an EU citizen and has lived and worked here for 40 years. But the UK government failed to implement EU rules designed to manage free movement and keeps no register of EU nationals living in the UK. To prove that he has a right to permanent residence here, my husband must complete an 85-page form and let the Home Office have his passport for months. Many EU nationals who’ve done this have had their rights refused on technicalities. But, in any case, this permission may be worthless if the UK leaves the EU. In contrast, my (UK citizen) sister has lived for 30 years in another EU country; if she needs permanent residence after Brexit she can simply apply online using her “person number” to become naturalised.
The situation in the UK exposes the lie that the UK needed to leave the EU to better manage the free movement of EU citizens. All the UK government needed to do was implement the existing EU rules but it couldn’t be bothered. So my family fears for a future where we may either be split up or have to leave our home in the UK.
Sally Churchill
Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan
• A letter was removed from this page on 11 February 2017. The letter said incorrectly that Labour had not supported an amendment to the European Union (notification of withdrawal) bill on the rights of EU nationals in the UK. A letter from Keir Starmer MP responding to that incorrect claim was published on 10 February 2017.
