Theresa May 'blocked' Cameron from offering EU citizens right to stay after Brexit

Theresa May blocked David Cameron's
attempts to unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU
citizens living in the UK, following last year's
referendum, it has been reported.

Cameron, who was prime minister at the time, tried to
get his cabinet to agree to assure EU citizens of their
right to stay in the UK, but May, then home secretary,
refused to agree. In an Evening Standard editorial on Friday afternoon, it was revealed that May "insisted on blocking" the
"unilateral offer" for people from other EU states in the
UK. The Evening Standard is edited by George Osborne,
who would have been present in cabinet as
Cameron's chancellor at the time after the
referendum, and was a key ally of the then prime
minister. The paper has been a strong critic of May
since Osborne took over earlier this year. Osborne was removed as Chancellor after May became PM. The Standard claims May was the only cabinet
member at the time to oppose granting the right to
stay to EU citizens immediately. The editorial calls on May to "announce unilaterally
that any Europeans who are living here will be able to
remain here... it would be, as we said before, an act of
national self-interest dressed up as a gesture of
international generosity." May's opponents accused her of a "heartless" decision
to block the rights of EU citizens. "It is a badge of shame that Theresa May blocked
attempts to guarantee the rights of EU nationals after
the referendum. It shows how cold and heartless she
is," Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake
said. "Now that mean-spirited decision is coming back to
haunt her as we see an exodus of skilled EU workers,
from nurses to academics.
"Simply setting out vague assurances without giving a
clear guarantee or sufficient resources for the Home
Office is not good enough." On Thursday evening, the prime minister made what she called a "fair and serious" offer to EU leaders,
guaranteeing their right to stay in the UK, as long the
EU does the same for British expats. EU citizens who have been living in the UK for at least
5 years would be given "settled status," allowing
them full rights to pensions, healthcare, education,
and benefits. While German chancellor Angela Merkel called the
proposal "a good start," fellow European leaders have
not been as complimentary. Jean Claude-Juncker, the
president of the European Commission said "that is a
first step but this step is not sufficient," and the Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel called the offer "particularly vague."