80
EU citizens in UK get letters telling them post-Brexit residency rights were given ‘in error’
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2026
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UK needs to get it's shit together really
This article is a little over the top. 1.3m got settled status. So far, about 100 according to the article have been told there was a mistake in their application.
There may well be more, but of course any system is going to have an error rate and on face value given we're 6 years post withdrawal (and it's 5 years when people can convert to permanent residency) the error rate seems low? That may change - this may be the start of a scandal around government incompetence which would be unsurprising given how the Tories ran the government and brexit. But what really matters is not the letters going out saying there was a mistake; it's what the government then does about it. Do they behave humanely? Or do they behave cruelly?
The problem with any story around the UK and Brexit is that it is always seen through the lens of being Pro or Anti EU. Instead this is a bog standard story of government mistakes and bureaucracy, and how it deals with them.
Too busy playing "hold my beer" with the USA
I'm here to speak for the UK:
We are farther away than we have ever been from having our shit together. Infact we are creating more shit as we speak. But you never know what the future holds. Maybe our 6th Prime Minister in 7 years is finally going to sort everything out 🤞
They needed to get it together 10 years ago. I‘m no expert of course but they‘re in need of a do over of some sort. Neither party of theirs will do them any good.
What we need in the UK is electoral reform. We have the same problems all of Europe has, but in the UK they're massively exacerbated by not having proportional representation. Germany and France have big problems with right wing crazies too - AfD and Marine Le Pen for example. But these countries have proportional representation that at least helps keeps the crazies at bay. For now at least.
The big difference is that in the UK, under "First Past the Post" voting, our version of Trump-light - Boris Johnson - got absolute power with just 43% of the vote. And there is a very real risk someone far worse - Nigel Farrage - can too.
But lets also not kid ourselves European countries are doing well. Germany has a pretty weak government having switched to Merz recently from Scholz, and yet another fractious grand coalition. And France's parliament is currently totally dysfunctional, split 1/3 each between Left, Right and Centrist blocks, with Macron a lame duck and a very worrying presidential election coming up. Poland and Hungary are two countries that have just pulled back from dark precipices, but still have experienced autocratic populist regimes that have gutted their civil society and it's a difficult road to rebuild them. Italy is in the hands of a right wing populist right now, and that seems to have been normalised.
The constant narrative seems to be only the UK is in a mess and it's because they left the EU. I'd say, look more closely at national politics in many European countries and it's clear Brexit is just a symptom of a malaise many countries are experiencing. Citizens in many European countries are unhappy, and that is reflected in the parties that are vying for power.
Totally agree with you that we all have problems. In Denmark, we voted to leave the EU long before Brexit; our government then narrowly pulled it back with a number of exceptions and a new referendum. Also, we had a rise in right wing politics and anti immigration sentiment very early on relative to other European countries.
I also agree with you that first-past-the-post is a huge issue that the UK should tackle, and it's not talked about enough! Our electoral system in Denmark is also flawed, but I do think the representation system we have feels more democratic.
Looks like the entire continent is jumping off a cliff TBH, UK is ahead of the curve but most of the rest seem rather eager to follow.