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  Courtesy of The Times
  
  citizens who arrive in Britain during the post-Brexit transition period will be allowed to stay permanently under a U-turn planned by Theresa May. Three weeks ago the prime minister caused surprise by saying that those arriving after March 29 next year should not have the same rights as those who came before. The Times has learnt that Downing Street is now examining proposals to make a unilateral promise to EU citizens that they can remain if they arrive before the end of the transition period. Such a period was due to last until the end of 2020 but this week the government was accused of preparing the ground for an open-ended transition.
  
  Mrs May’s potential change of approach is designed to placate Brussels to ensure that she seals a swift transition deal. It could leave Britons living on the Continent with fewer rights than EU citizens in the UK as there is no guarantee that Brussels will offer the same terms. Previously Britain has insisted on acting in step with the bloc on citizens’ rights. Last night senior ministers from the cabinet’s Brexit committee were in an eight-hour meeting at Chequers, Mrs May’s retreat in Buckinghamshire, to hammer out the government’s position on the future relationship with the EU. They had an afternoon of presentations and discussions, after which they were joined by British ambassadors to inform the decision-making.
  
  Brussels has made clear that preventing EU citizens who arrive after March next year from staying indefinitely would breach free-movement rules, jeopardising any transition deal.
  Brexiteers will be angered at a move to allow EU citizens to arrive freely. Net migration figures revealed yesterday that 90,000 people came to the UK from the bloc last year, a fall of 75,000.

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