According to the minister, at present 'her department is studying in detail the possibility of introducing a system for issuing work permits or another similar model.' In response to a journalist's question about how such a decision would be compatible with London's access to the single EU market while maintaining such a regime, Rudd replied: 'We will have to find out what is in the interests of the United Kingdom, what is in the interests of the EU, and (determine) what suits our economy, ensuring that the balance is in our favor.'
As Deutsche Welle notes, currently most citizens of EU countries, citizens of states belonging to the European Economic Area, as well as Swiss citizens have the right to live and work in the UK under European law. To exercise the right to reside in the United Kingdom, citizens of these countries must be able to support themselves and their families without recourse to public funds and social assistance. However, these categories of citizens do not need to obtain visas or work permits in this country.
Recall that on June 23, 2016, a referendum on the UK's exit from the European Union was held. 51.9 percent of voters chose to leave the EU. Over 33.5 million Britons took part in the referendum; turnout was 72.1 percent. No state had previously left the EU, which was established in 1992.
The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The outcome of the vote in these territories was mixed. While England (53.4%) and Wales (52.5%) voted to leave the EU, in Scotland and Northern Ireland a majority voted to keep the UK in the EU—55.8% and 62% of the local population, respectively. Greater London was the only one of the nine regions of England to vote for maintaining UK membership in the EU. 59.9 percent of voters there wanted to remain part of the European Union.
75% of British voters aged 18 to 24 did not want the country to leave the EU. Meanwhile, 61% of voters over 65 supported the UK's exit from the European Union. In the age group 25 to 49, 56% supported remaining in the EU, while the same percentage of Britons aged 50 to 64, conversely, voted for Brexit.
One of the consequences of the victory of Brexit supporters in the referendum was the resignation of David Cameron as head of the British government. He stated that a new 'captain' would lead the country to its next destination. The UK's European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Jonathan Hill, also left his post. After Cameron's resignation, former British Home Secretary Theresa May took over as prime minister. The 59-year-old politician, who has been called the British version of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, expressed hope that her country and the European Union would find a model of relations acceptable to both sides.
The British government plans to leave the European Union in early 2019, British minister Liam Fox, responsible for trade negotiations with the EU in the new government, said in an interview. David Davis, appointed head of the Department for Exiting the European Union, also previously gave an estimated exit date from the EU – the end of 2018 or the beginning of 2019.