EU citizens will not have any “automatic right” to work in the UK after the Brexit transition period, home secretary Sajid Javid has said.
When answering questions from the home affairs select committee, Mr Javid stated that there should be a complete halt to free movement across the bloc once Brexit has come into effect.
“There will be a complete, total end to freedom of movement… no back-door version of that, freedom of movement will end,” he said.
Mr Javid has also stated that he will not comment on whether he feels highly skilled workers should be able to apply for a job without a UK visa, or whether employers would need to ensure a UK visa application is completed if they employ someone from the EU.
Furthermore, Mr Javid argues that it should not be possible for any EU citizen to make their own choice to come to Britain for work as part of a so-called mobility agreement made with the EU as part of a trade deal.
“There will be no automatic right for anyone in the EU, or anyone else for that matter, to just make a unilateral decision that they can just hop on a plane or ferry and just come and work in the UK. That will end.”
Additionally, he argues that there should not be any automatic right for scientists, doctors or any other highly skilled worker from the EU to come to Britain for work over workers of the same standard from elsewhere in the world.
“We still want to be open to talent from across the world that can help us in some parts of our economy,” said Javid. “There’s no magical reason it should be only from the EU and I think being a global Britain means that should be from across the world.”