After months of speculation, this is the week where the Brexit negotiations get serious. Aside from the brewing controversy over the financial settlement or “Brexit bill”, the priority for the opening phase of the negotiations is the protection of EU citizens’ rights in the UK and UK citizens’ rights in the EU. Unfortunately, as things stand, both the UK’s and the EU’s proposals on citizens’ rights talk past each other. Despite the goodwill on both sides, there are fundamental differences that will need to be bridged if a deal is to be reached. Before the referendum, the official ‘Vote Leave’ campaign made clear that EU citizens living in the UK would have…

Source: The Times July 20, 2017 00:11 UTC