Ambassador reassures British in Spain following Brexit vote
The British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, has sought to reassure British people living in Spain that ‘nothing has changed’ following yesterday’s ‘Brexit’ vote to leave the EU.
After the result was announced early on 24 June, British residents of Spain took to social media wondering what the future would hold for them. Fears included whether elderly people would continue to receive pensions and free healthcare, while younger residents debated whether they would still be permitted to work.
On Friday afternoon Mr Manley released a statement which said: ‘The truth is that, right now, nothing has changed.
Ambassador Simon Manley: ‘You can still live here and work here, just as before’
‘You can still live here and work here, just as you did before. You still have the same access to Spanish health and other social services.
‘You can still travel freely between Spain, the UK and other EU member states. You don’t have to change your residency status or apply for a new passport.’
An immediate effect was that the value of sterling plummeted, reducing the buying power of British holidaymakers and those residents who rely on an income from the UK.
The Spanish stock market tumbled too and acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for ‘peace and calm’ following the result. He also emphasised the same message as the Ambassador, saying that nothing had changed for the moment.
The President of Catalunya, Carles Puigdemont, said the result was ‘not good news’ but emphasised that democracy had won because the people of Britain were allowed to vote.
Puigdemont also highlighted Scotland’s pro-European stance and gave a message of support to the Scottish people.
Mr Manley explained that after the UK got a new prime minister in October, the process of negotiation on Britain’s exit would begin. That ‘could last a couple of years’, he said. During that time British people’s rights and obligations wouldn’t change.
Myra Azzopardi Swainson of the Citizens Advice Bureau in Spain said: ‘Today and tomorrow and for some time to come, we are all EU citizens.’
If this was meant to reassure pensioners living in Spain, it did not work for me. Not one of the people above promised long term stability. Do they think pensioners will all die in the next couple of years. Unless there is a guarantee that our UK pensions will not be frozen, and we will still be able to access free health care, pensioners incomes will start to reduce in two and a bit years time. And I for one plan to live a lot longer than two years.