Ritchie slams ‘Tory dehumanising’ stance on EU Nationals | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Ritchie slams ‘Tory dehumanising’ stance on EU Nationals

SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has slammed what she described as the ‘inhuman comments’ made by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox who claimed that the residency status of EU nationals would be a ‘main card’ for the British Government in Brexit negotiations.

Margaret RitchieSpeaking to Newry Times, Ritchie said, “It appears that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is making an early bid to become the next UKIP Leader, so crass and offensive are his remarks about using our European friends and neighbours as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations.

“The notion that those who have come here from Europe, who contribute to our economy, pay taxes to fund our public services and play an integral role in our communities, are to be used as some ace up Liam Fox’s sleeve is utterly dehumanising and he should withdraw the remarks immediately.

“This is a government intent on scrapping our human rights framework and now they’re playing a reckless game of poker with the rights of EU citizens who have made a life for themselves here. It should be opposed across the political spectrum,” the local MP insisted.

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September 2016“Taken together with the Home Secretary’s plans to force businesses to disclose the ‘British and non-British’ makeup of their workforces, it’s clear that this government is feeding a far right, anti-European sentiment.

“The chilling rhetoric from this Conservative Party Conference will provide succour to those preying on intolerance in communities across Britain.

Ritchie added, “Those in positions of influence like Liam Fox and Amber Rudd should dispel that sense and provide firm guarantees that Europeans living on these islands will not be treated like second class citizen.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=57834

Posted by on Oct 6 2016. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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