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ANALYSIS: Where does this leave Brits in Spain now?

Sue Wilson of Bremain in Spain reels from the staggering results of the "Brexit election" but insists the fight isn't yet over.

Published: 13 December 2019 12:53 CET

ANALYSIS: Where does this leave Brits in Spain now?

Photo: AFP

Friday 13th December 2019 was a nightmare come true. The result of the Brexit election isn’t just unlucky for British citizens living in the EU – it’s unlucky for the whole UK.

When the results of the exit poll emerged on Thursday at 10pm, the shock and despair amongst Brits across Europe was palpable. The expectation had been for a hung parliament or a close result. Last week, there was increasing optimism that the government would fall or be returned with no working majority. On election day, we hoped that tactical voting would stop Boris Johnson in his tracks.

Instead, not only did Johnson prevail but the scale of his win was staggering.

The emotions of Brits in Spain are reminiscent of how we felt on the morning of June 24th 2016. A combination of anger, incredulity, sadness and hopelessness may last awhile. A question from many of us is: “Where does that leave us now?”

Naturally, many people will be considering their individual circumstances and what they stand to lose through Brexit. Many will be thinking of their children, grandchildren, family in the UK and the loss of future opportunities that Brexit would steal.

As we watched events unfold on Thursday night, there were two common reactions. The first was a commitment to apply for Spanish citizenship. The second was a desire to cut any remaining emotional ties with the UK. After all, for almost four years, the UK has washed its hands of British citizens overseas – maybe it’s time to return the favour.

Over the coming weeks, the analysis of the Brexit election will start in earnest. Fingers will be pointed, blame will be apportioned. The Tories will crow, the Remainers will cry. Johnson has already claimed “a powerful mandate” from the country to deliver his hard, perhaps no-deal Brexit. He will make it sound easy. It won’t be.

A main factor determining the election outcome was the clear success of the government’s “get Brexit done” campaign. This tactic appealed to the public’s boredom and frustration with Brexit and parliament – perhaps the only political message that resonated with both Leave and Remain voters alike. This is ironic, considering it’s the biggest lie of the entire election.

Even if we ‘leave’ the EU on January 31st, as Johnson intends, Brexit will be far from done. Our rights will remain for the time being, we’ll be in transition, and nothing will change – except perhaps the public mood. The EU has warned that negotiating a trade deal will take years and is not possible by the end of 2020, despite the prime minister’s claims.

We can expect a honeymoon period for the new government, but it cannot last. Johnson’s inability to deliver will become blindingly obvious. The niggling issues that Johnson swept under the rug until the election was over – such as the Russian report and the Arcuri scandal – will re-emerge. The deceptions, fake news and outright lies told by the Conservative party deserve more exposure and criticism. The mainstream media must also share some of the responsibility.

After the 2016 referendum, I felt much as I do now. The referendum was a political awakening for me, but it took a while to happen. I spent three weeks grieving and being angry before I woke up and decided to act. I cannot afford to take three weeks now.

Whatever my actions, it won’t change the election result but that doesn’t mean this fight is over. I will not stand by and watch the most right-wing, extremist government in my lifetime take over the country that used to inspire pride in me. I won’t stand by while lies, dirty tricks, xenophobia and lack of compassion become the new norm in British politics. Nor will I sit back and watch the NHS being sold to the highest bidder, homelessness increase, or more British children growing up in poverty.

Johnson said on Friday that he “genuinely speaks for every part of the country”. I assume by “country”, he means England. Whatever he claims, he does not – and will never – speak for me.

By Sue Wilson – Chair of Bremain in Spain

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INTERVIEW: 'A lot of people think Brexit is done, but it's not for Brits in Europe'

In the early days of 2021, after the United Kingdom had left the EU and completed the final stage of Brexit, many British citizens returned to their home countries in Europe only to face a grilling at the border.

Though the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) technically guaranteed their right to live and work in the countries they’d settled in before Brexit, there was widespread confusion about these fundamental rights and many were treated like new arrivals.

Over time, the chaos at the airports subsided as border officials and airlines were given clearer guidance on the treatment of Brits. But three years later, a number of Brits who live on the continent still face problems when it comes to proving their post-Brexit rights.

This was the reason campaign group British in Europe decided to set up their new EU-funded ICE project. Starting this year in March, it aims to build valuable connections between UK citizens abroad and mentor the next generation of civil rights advocates around the continent. The acronym stands for ‘Inform, Empower, Connect’ and the project’s organisers describe it as “the first project of its kind”.

“It’s a completely innovative project – especially the fact that it’s across so many countries,” Jane Golding, chair of British in Europe and one of the project’s founders, told The Local.

Bringing together groups from 11 EU member states, the project aims to train up volunteers to understand both the Withdrawal Agreement and EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as learning skills like advocacy and communication, using real-life civil rights cases that are referred to British in Europe.

“The ultimate goal is to amplify the messages across the wider group,” said Golding. “You start with the volunteers, they go back to their groups, then the people that we train, they go back and train people. Then they pass on that knowledge to the wider groups, on their Facebook accounts and through social media, and hopefully it all snowballs, not just in their countries but across the EU.”

‘Far-reaching repercussions’

So many years after Brexit, it’s hard to believe that there’s still a need for a project like ICE that empowers Brits to protect their rights. Indeed, the future of groups like British in Europe and regional groups like British in Germany and Spain-based group EuroCitizens felt uncertain just a year or two ago.

But Golding says there are still serious issues cropping up for Brits in several countries around Europe – they just have a different quality to the problems that arose at the start.

“In some ways it’s needed even more because as we predicted right at the beginning, at the first stage of implementation, you’ve got the more routine cases,” she explained.

“What we’re seeing now is not as many cases, but when the cases come up, they’re complex. They can have such far-reaching repercussions on people’s lives. And of course, memories start to fade. A lot of people think Brexit is already done, but it’s not.”

Volunteers in British in Europe ICE project

The volunteers of the British in Europe ICE project pose for a photo at the kick-off meeting in Brussels on May 21st, 2024. Photo courtesy of British In Europe

Though the rights set out in the Withdrawal Agreement apply across the continent, different countries have taken different approaches to implementing them.

That means that while in Germany, for example, UK citizens simply had to declare that they lived in the country, people in neighbouring Denmark had to apply for their rights.

This led to a notorious situation in Denmark in which as many as 2,000 Brits were threatened with deportation after not applying in time or completing the right application process. According to Golding, this had a lot to do with the fact that people who arrived in 2020 weren’t given the same information as other UK migrants who arrived before.

In Sweden, meanwhile, the situation is still difficult for many Brits who lived there prior to Brexit.

“There have been issues with an anomalously high numbers of refusals compared to other countries, and they seem to be taking a very strict approach on late applications,” Golding explained.

Portugal has been another difficult case. Although the country opted for a declaratory system where Brits could simply exchange old residence documents for a new ID card after Brexit, reports suggest that the authorities have taken years to issue these cards, leaving many of the some 34,000 Brits in the country in limbo.

“While people are still waiting to have their status confirmed and have their card in their hand, it’s difficult to access a whole range of services, like health services, or applying for jobs or dealing with the authorities, or even going to the bank,” Golding said. “All of these problems just affect people’s lives.”

A French border guard checks a passport at the border

A French border guard checks a passport at the border. Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP

There are also concerns about the EU’s new exit and entry system (EES), due to come into force in October, which is based on biometric documentation.

“We still do not have clear data on how many people in declaratory countries like Germany, where it wasn’t compulsory to apply for the card, don’t actually have a card,” Golding said. “How is that going to play out if it’s a document-based digitalised system?”

A lack of support

In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was still available to support NGOs in Europe helping Brits with their migration and civil rights issues. But that temporary funding soon expired, leaving groups like British in Europe largely on their own.

“The whole point is people’s lives change at very different paces,” Golding said. “And now this project is really going to start to pick up some of those cases and report on those issues, which is really crucial and exciting for the precedent that it sets, and it’s very clearly necessary still, because people don’t just sort their lives in the 18 months that the FCDO chose to supply that funding.”

This feeling of being left alone and increasingly isolated from the UK is one that many Brits in Europe have felt in the aftermath of Brexit. But the upcoming UK election on July 4th could be a game-changer.

This time, following a change in the law, Brits who have lived abroad for more than 15 years will be able to vote for the first time.

Polling station in the UK

A polling station in the UK. Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

When it comes to the election, the message from British in Europe is clear: “Make your voice count now, make your vote count, make sure you use it,” Golding said.

With the June 18th registration deadline fast approaching, BiE is advising UK citizens abroad to apply for a proxy vote as soon as possible, rather than relying on a postal vote from abroad. Since the 15-year rule was abolished on January 16th, more than 100,000 British citizens have registered to vote, according to official statistics. It is unclear how many were registered before the change in the law.

With an estimated 4.7 million Brits currently living abroad – 1.3 million of whom are in the EU – this could have a significant impact on the electoral landscape, Golding says. But most significantly, the change is creating a feeling of connection and belonging that wasn’t there before.

Nurturing this sense of belonging is one of the main goals of ICE.

With these bridges being built, British in Europe hopes to create a network of support that spans across borders.

“Now we’ve met. We’re going to meet,” said Golding. “We know we’re going to meet again in Berlin in October and then we’ll meet again in the new year in 2025 as well. It means a huge amount because even British in Europe, our steering team, we’ve only met physically three times.”

This opens up the possibility of people sharing their knowledge from country to country, Golding explained.

“There is crossover and the reassurance of having that EU wide view and knowing that you’re not alone and knowing that in this country, we managed to get this solution,” she said. “And then you can go back and say to the authorities in your country, well, in that country they did that – all of that helps. It’s really good.”

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