Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what consideration he has made of the effect of Article 70 (1)(b) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties on UK citizens retaining EU citizenship should the UK leave the EU.

EU treaty provisions make clear that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State.

Article 70 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties is a default rule, which does not apply where the parties to a treaty agree arrangements relating to a particular party’s withdrawal. The UK and the EU will agree these arrangements under the Article 50 process, to be defined in the Withdrawal Agreement.

We know that in the future, many UK nationals will wish to continue to travel, live and work within the European Union, just as EU citizens will still wish to do so in the UK. We look forward to discussing our future relationship with the European Union, one which will work in the interest of both the UK and the EU.