Boris was right to u-turn over Freedom of Movement

For all its ferocious momentum, Boris Johnson’s government is capable of making pretty bad mistakes – as we saw with Priti Patel’s announcement that free movement of people will end with Brexit on 31 October. A problem, when it hasn’t worked out let alone revealed what regime will replace it. As I say in this week’s cover story, this decision saw millions of EU nationals plunged into uncertainty – and by a Prime Minister who had promised them security. The Sunday Times today reveals that the decision has been revoked.

The Home Office has only managed to process one million of the three million EU nationals living in the country, giving them settled or pre-settled status. And what would happen to the other two million on 31 October? How would a French baker who has lived here for 30 years distinguish himself from a French baker just off the ferry if he starts a new job? What happens to employers who today hire a Dutch data analyst due to start in three months’ time? Might this proposed £35k salary threshold apply? Would there be quotas? That’s the problem with free movement: it’s not just about future migration.