80 EU citizens in Eden stuck in limbo as ‘Settled Status’ backlog soars

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to grant EU citizens the automatic right to stay in the UK, with the physical proof they need, as new Home Office figures reveal 80 people in Eden are still waiting for a decision on their Settled Status application, a small fraction of the 380,200 waiting in the UK.

The latest EU Settlement Scheme statistics show that, as of the end of December, there have been 1420 applications from people living in Eden, but only 1340 of these have been concluded.

The figures also reveal that 550 people in Eden have only been granted temporary 'Pre-Settled Status'. That means a total of 630 applicants have still not been given the permanent right to stay.

The Liberal Democrats believe that EU citizens are an integral part of our Eden communities. They are our friends and family, and Liberal Democrats will always stand up for them. We will keep fighting to secure their automatic right to stay, with the physical proof they need.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael added:

"Boris Johnson and the Conservatives promised to guarantee automatically the rights of EU citizens to stay, but they have broken that promise, as they have with so many others.

"The enormous backlog shows that the Government's botched scheme is anything but automatic. It puts thousands of EU citizens at risk of becoming the victims of a new Windrush-style Scandal."

Note that - Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine tabled the European Citizens' Rights Bill on 26th February 2020. Its Second Reading in the House of Commons was due to take place on 22nd January 2021, but that has been postponed indefinitely by the Government's decision to cancel sitting Fridays. More details of the Bill are available here.