LONDON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 3.8 million European Union (EU) citizens living in Britain will be allowed to stay, even if there is no deal with Brussels about Britons living in the EU countries, reports in London claimed Monday.
The Daily Telegraph in London said Britain would give EU migrants a unilateral right to stay in the event of a no-deal Brexit amid concerns that failing to do so would lead to labor shortages.
The newspaper based its story on government papers due to be published later this week.
The papers, which the Telegraph says it has seen, state that Britain will take a "moral high ground" by agreeing to enable EU migrants to live in the UK and continue to access the National Health Service and claim benefits.
The report adds that government ministers have warned that Brexit must not lead to shortages in sectors such as health, social care, construction and tourism.
The government will guarantee the rights of EU migrants regardless of whether Brussels agrees to do the same for Britons living in Spain and other European nations, says the report.
Details of the offer for EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit will be set out in one of 83 technical papers on no deal.
The government paper, which was given to ministers last month, describes the rights of EU citizens as "one of the most important aspects" of no-deal planning, adds the Telegraph.
Under the deal, all 3.8 million EU migrants living in the UK will be entitled to stay and continue to enjoy access to healthcare, benefits and pensions. They will also be able to bring spouses and "close family members" from abroad to live with them in the UK.
It states: "The Home Office plans to make an offer to existing EU residents that they can remain in the UK in a 'no deal' scenario, in effect unilaterally implementing the (immigration element of the) Citizens' Rights agreement agreed with the EU in December 2017.
"The proposal is to make the offer irrespective of whether the EU reciprocates. Any package would need resolution for the reciprocal elements of the December 2017 deal."
The approach was welcomed by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Conservative MP who leads a 60-strong group of Eurosceptic MPs. He said: "I have always thought we should make a unilateral offer in this area. EU migrants came here legally, and the UK is not the sort of country that applies retrospective legislation. They should have broadly the same rights as British citizens -- no better or worse."
