The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council is calling on European citizens living and working in the UK to ‘Bremain’ following the result of June’s referendum .
Nick Paget-Brown says the Royal borough has benefited from the contribution EU citizens and its workforce, and wants the government to reassure these citizens currently living in Britain that their future in this country is assured.
And in a message to EU citizens, he says: "If you have made Britain your home, we want and expect you to be able to stay."
In a blog Cllr Paget-Brown said: "About 3.3 million EU citizens live in the UK. That’s a big number. But what is clear is that at every level and in every sector of our economy these citizens have been putting in a shift.
"In Kensington and Chelsea, their contribution is huge: in our restaurants, our hotels, in our shops, hospitals and GP surgeries, and even here at the council, we have been benefiting mightily from highly skilled EU workers."
He says their presence is "overwhelmingly peaceful and positive" and continues: "It is a huge tribute to the European nations that they have been able to produce so many millions of bi-lingual and multi-lingual people who not only have skills, but behave well and work hard.
"And let’s not forget, it is also a tribute to the UK, its openness, dynamism and tolerance that they chose to come here rather than any other country."
But he says it is wrong that these people are now feeling anxious about their future following the decision to leave the European Union .
He said: "Brexit means major change and many will have anxieties about the future.
"It is said that EU citizens are particularly anxious. If true, that’s a great pity.
"As far as I can see, there is not a single mainstream Brexiteer calling for deportation, repatriation or whatever one would have to call such an infamous policy; indeed, the extensive polling done on this issue shows an overwhelming majority of British people – Brexiteers and Bremainers alike – think EU citizens must be allowed to stay."
The Tory believes the question being mulled over by the government is whether the citizens should be given reassurance straight away, or wait for a reciprocal agreement that will provide equivalent reassurance for UK citizens living in the EU.
But he does not think there should be a delay: "My own preference, shared with many of my Conservative colleagues on the council, is for the government to give a clear statement now, by which I mean immediately, and if necessary without reciprocity.
"I think that would be a statement of our British values; values by the way which have never been dependent on the EU or its institutions."
