Jeremy Corbyn has pledged that the three million EU citizens living in Britain are “welcome here”, prompting a standing ovation and lengthy round of applause at the Labour Party conference.
After accusing the Tories of “self-interest Brexit bungling” and urging the party to pull itself together" over the EU negotiations, Mr Corbyn made a rallying cry to defend the rights of European nationals.
“One thing needs to be made clear straight away. Three million European Union citizens currently living and working in Britain will be welcome here,” he said.
The statement triggered a standing ovation and a near 30-second round of applause across the conference hall, during which the Labour leader took a sip of water.
Following that ecstatic reaction, Mr Corbyn said EU nationals in the UK had been "left under a cloud of insecurity by this Government when their future could have been settled months ago."
He continued: "So Theresa May, give them the full guarantees they deserve today. If you don’t, we will."
