The freedom of movement has been the most consistent sticking point between London and Brussels, with Britain determined to end it and the EU demanding it to continue in order for close economic ties to be preserved.
The Conservative British think-tank Migration Watch the UK has published a paper calling on the Government of Theresa May not to cave into the demands of the European Union on immigration levels and freedom of movement in order to reach a post-Brexit trade agreement.
“A sharp reduction in immigration from the EU must be a red line in these negotiations, not a bargaining chip.The government has already caved in on rights for those arriving in the implementation period. They must not capitulate on longer-term immigration arrangements. That would be a betrayal of the 17 million who voted for Brexit,” said Migration Watch’s Chairman Lord Green in a statement released in conjunction with the paper.
On March 19, the United Kingdom and the EU reached agreement on the terms and length of the transitional period starting in March 2019, during which the UK will leave the 28-nation bloc.
Brussels has previously stated that Britain would not be able to achieve a relationship with the Continent that was better or as good as that which it has had as an EU-member state, marking out freedom of movement, capital and goods as its red-lines to which Britain must adhere in any future arrangement.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
