Home Office accepts court defeat on EU citizens scheme

Bangla Sanglap Desk: A High Court judgement that regulations affecting more than 2.5m EU citizens living in the UK are unlawful will not be challenged by the government.

The Home Office has confirmed it will not appeal against the ruling, despite previously indicating it would do so.

Many EU citizens could have faced losing their right to residence if they did not further apply for settled or pre-settled status within five years. The case was brought by a watchdog for EU citizens' rights after Brexit.

The watchdog Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA) was supported by the European Commission and the3million, a group representing EU citizens in the UK. It said the High Court ruling had "averted a ticking time bomb".

In December, Mr Justice Lane concluded that part of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) set up by the Home Office to settle EU citizens' immigration status was based on an incorrect interpretation of the withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU. The Home Office said the judgement was now law and it was working to implement it on a simple and straightforward basis "as swiftly as possible". A spokesman said:

Bangla Sanglap Desk: people from within the bloc had never needed permission to be in the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is resigning as Scotland's first minister after more than eight years in the role.The Scottish National Party leader said she knew "in my head and in my heart" this was the right time to step down. Ms Sturgeon said she would remain in office until her successor was elected.She is the longestserving first minister and the first woman to hold the position.Ms Sturgeon insisted her resignation was not in response to the "latest period of pressure", which has included controversies over gender reforms, trans prisoners and the strategy on independence. She acknowledged there had been "choppy waters", but said her decision had come from "a deeper and longer-term assessment".

The scheme gave them pre-settled status - a limited right to live and work in the UK which expires if they don't reapply for full settled status after five years.

But at a High Court hearing in London in November, lawyers for the IMA said the settlement scheme was incompatible with the Brexit withdrawal agreement, because of its effect on some EU citizens and their family members, as well as those from countries in the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Association.

"Those with pre-settled status are encouraged to apply for settled status as soon as they are eligible, so they can obtain secure evidence of their right of permanent residence in the UK."

Since 2018, the Home

Office has run a twostage process for EU citizens who wanted to remain in the UK.

This EUSS was set up because the EU's freedom of movement principle had meant many