Hostile Environment "must be ended"

The scrapping of the settled status fee "doesn't go far enough" according to Dundee MP Stewart Hosie.

The MP who represents Dundee East welcomed the news on social media that the £65 fee for the application to gain settled status was to be scrapped but criticised the UK Government for their hostile environment policy and overall lack of support for EU nationals living in the UK.

The Hostile Environment, introduced in 2010 by then Home Secretary Theresa May, has faced strong criticism from opposition over its use of "go home vans" and billboards threatening migrants with deportation.

The policy also led to issues with the Windrush Generation where, in 2018, dozens of Windrush generation migrants were wrongfully detained, denied legal rights and in around 60 cases, deported.

The UK Government previously blocked the Scottish Government from paying the fee for the 13,000 EU nationals working in Scotland's public sector.

EU nationals who want to continue to reside in the UK after Brexit will still have to apply for the right to do so.

Commenting Stewart Hosie said:

"This is welcome news but doesn’t go far enough. EU nationals who contribute so much to our society, our economy and our culture should not be made to apply to stay in the country they now call home."

"The hostile environment policy, brought in by Theresa May and which already led to the Windrush Scandal, has done nothing but punish and vilify those who have simply sought to call Scotland home. It must be ended."

ENDS