Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussion he has had with his EU counterparts on preserving the right of UK citizens to retire to EU countries following the UK leaving the EU.

The European Commission has confirmed that, from the 1 January 2021, UK nationals who move or travel to a country in the Schengen area will be treated as third country nationals under EU and Member State immigration rules. UK nationals who wish to move to an EU Member State, whatever their age, will have to meet the domestic immigration and residency rules of the relevant country.

However, under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK State Pension will continue to be uprated for UK nationals who retire to the EU. The Agreement also ensures that, where the UK or an EU Member State is responsible for an individual's healthcare, individuals will be entitled to reciprocal healthcare cover. This includes healthcare cover for UK state pensioners who retire to the EU. No one, for example UK nationals living in EU Member States by the end of 2020, will lose their Withdrawal Agreement rights as a result of this new Agreement.