Downing Street has said that free movement of people to Britain from the EU will end in March 2019 after Brexit. The remarks come after ministers gave conflicting views on how Britain's divorce from the EU should look.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday ruled out an "off-the-shelf"transition deal with the EU, after senior ministers said they expected Britain's current arrangements with the bloc to continue for at least two years after Brexit.
Since Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority in last month's general election, ministers in her cabinet have come out with conflicting views over how they foresee Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the EU.
Last week, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said that there should be no immediate changes to Britain's immigration laws after it leaves the bloc in March 2019. That was followed by Interior Minister Amber Rudd's comments that there should be no "cliff edge" when Britain leaves the EU.
Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues?
Brexit talks began in June and both sides have been frustrated at the lack of progress. DW has taken a look at key issues being debated in Brussels as the clock ticks toward Britain's scheduled departure in March 2019.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/o. Hoslet
Two phases
EU leaders agreed to negotiating guidelines during a summit in April 2017 that divided the divorce talks into two phases. Phase I, in which both sides aimed to settle the basic terms of Britain's departure, started in July and ended with an agreement on "sufficient progress" in December. Officials are now holding Phase II negotiations on the post-Brexit relationship between Britain and the EU.
Image: Reuters/File Photo/Y. Herman
The "Brexit Bill"
London agreed to a formula for calculating what it owes in its "divorce bill" to the EU in early December after months of haggling by British officials. The current EU budget expires in 2022 and EU officials have said the divorce bill will cover financial obligations Britain had committed to before triggering article 50. The final bill will reportedly total around £50 billion (€67 billion).
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Citizens' rights
Both sides agreed in early December that the 3 million EU citizens currently in Britain and the 1.1 million British citizens in the EU keep their residency rights after Brexit. British courts will have immediate jurisdiction over EU citizens living in Britain. But the EU's highest court, the ECJ, can hear cases until 2027 if British judges refer unclear cases to them.
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The Irish border
Britain and the EU also agreed in December that no border checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would return post-Brexit. How feasible the commitment will be is unclear, as Britain's commitment to leaving the EU Single Market and Customs Union makes it difficult to avoid customs checks at the Irish border.
Image: Reuters/C. Kilcoyne
Transition period
Theresa May envisages a two-year transition period after March 2019. Both sides still have to hash out the details of the transition period in Phase II, including the exact end-date, whether new EU laws passed during the period will apply to Britain, and whether Britain can negotiate its own free trade deals. British officials hope to agree on the terms of the transition by March 2018.
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Trade
May has repeatedly said Britain will leave the European Single Market and the EU Customs Union. Leaving both could disrupt British-EU trade, but allow Britain to negotiate its own free trade deals and restrict EU migration — key demands by pro-Brexit politicians. London has said it wants to negotiate a new EU-UK trade deal during Phase II to minimize trade disruption before March 2019.
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Immigration
Britain has also vowed to restrict EU migration into Britain after Brexit. However, some British lawmakers are wary that a sharp drop in immigration could lead to shortfalls in key sectors, including health, social care and construction. The EU has warned that Single Market access is out of the question if London decides to restrict the ability of its citizens to live and work in Britain.
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Security
Recent terror attacks across Europe including a string in Britain underline both sides' support for continued security cooperation after March 2019. But access to EU institutions such as Europol and programs such as the European Arrest Warrant require compliance with EU laws. Whether Britain will still be compliant after it leaves is unclear.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/o. Hoslet
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However, Downing Street appeared to pour cold water over such hopes on Monday. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Monday that the government's position on Brexit remained as it was set out in May's January speech, in which she announced Britain would not seek "some form of unlimited transitional status."
"Free movement will end in March 2019," May's spokesman told reporters. "Other elements of the post-Brexit immigration system will be brought forward in due course. It would be wrong to speculate on what these might look like or to suggest that free movement will continue as it is now."
Current EU laws stipulate that EU citizens are allowed to live and work freely in any member state.
Concerns surrounding immigration were a key driver in Britain's vote last year to leave the EU. Since then, the rights of some 3.5 million EU citizens living in the UK and around 1.5 million British people on the continent has become a key sticking point in the Brexit negotiations.
Britain rejects transition proposal
Brussels had indicated that any transitional arrangement following Brexit would see Britain lose its EU voting rights but still need to continue paying budget contributions, remain under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and accept free movement of EU citizens.
However, May has made the ECJ a red line in the Brexit negotiations. The Prime Minister has repeatedly vowed to end the Luxembourg-based court's jurisdiction in the UK, while Brussels has said it wants the court to be able to guarantee the well being of EU citizens in the UK beyond Brexit.
That clash has dragged out negotiations on citizens' rights and complicated hopes of a smooth Brexit deal.
