Amber Rudd has promised the UK will see “the end of freedom of movement as we know it” under Theresa May’s Brexit strategy.
The home secretary told ITV’s Peston on Sunday that the current right to travel and work in different EU countries will not remain when Britain leaves the EU.
She said one of the Prime Minister’s top priorities is to “give certainty to the EU people who are here, people who contribute to the economy.”
“As soon as we get reciprocity so the UK people living in the EU are also secure because we’ve got to look after them as well,” she added.
“One thing I can confirm is we will be ending freedom of movement as we know it. Otherwise we’re looking at all sorts of different alternatives.”
In the same interview, Ms Rudd also claimed immigration figures would not dramatically fall after Britain leaves the EU.
She suggested that the Government was “against cliff edges” in response to Brexit secretary David Davis’s remarks that some jobs would take many years to fill in sectors which rely on migrants.
A new immigration system will be put to businesses in the summer, she said.
