Advertisement

Brits in France left stunned after UK votes for Brexit

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
Brits in France left stunned after UK votes for Brexit
Photo: AFP

After the UK voted to leave the EU and the pound was sent crashing, British nationals living in France have been left stunned and concerned about the future.

Advertisement

Britain has voted to leave the EU, by an expected margin of 52 percent to 48 percent, sending shockwaves around Europe.

After it initially appeared that the "Remain" campaign was on course for victory, the results that drifted in throughout the early hours of Friday morning proved that many opinion polls, the bookmakers, and political experts had got it wrong.

The result sent the value of the pound crashing, recording its biggest drop in over 30 years. Financial forecasters believe it will tumble even further throughout the day.

While the result will have major bearing on the future of Europe and on the futures of Britain's political parties, it will also have a major impact on the lives of many Brits living throughout the EU.

The fall in the value of the pound will have severely hit the value of pensions - often the only form of income for British expats and may make it unaffordable for many to stay abroad.

Brian Cave, who lives in the Lot, south western France said: "We feel sick inside - as though a dear relative has died. We feel deserted, abandoned. The future seems bleak for the nation and for us as individual British citizens.

"Our income will fall greatly. Investments will take a plunge.

"All we can do for now is as the WWII poster which was prepared for a German Invasion said....Keep Calm and Carry On! 

"Great Britain has ceased to exist. It is no more. Ignorance and stupidity have won."

Tina Beach, who lives in Pas de Calais, northern France, said she was in shock. 

"We will be making the necessary arrangements to become resident back in the UK in order to protect our much-needed healthcare and state pension, as no doubt further down the line these EU regulated benefits will be affected.

"We see this as a dark day for the UK and for the many British citizens in the EU, and our counterpart migrants from the EU living and working in Britain."

Olivier Campenon, the president of the Franco-British chamber of commerce in Paris said: Many scenarios were outlined during the campaign but the truth is that we do not know what follows, except that we are facing a different Europe."

Many of The Local's readers in France took to Twitter to express their feelings.

 

And of course it's not just British nationals in France and the EU who are feeling deeply uneasy on Friday. The hundreds of thousands of French and other EU nationals in the UK have also been left shocked and concerned by the result.

With the plunging pound, many have seen the value of their earnings tumble.

The exact impact of the Brexit may not be made clear for some months, with negotiations likely to take up to two years.

Writing for The Local before Thursday's referendum, EU legal expert George Peretz QC, who was hoping to retire to France said life will certainly get more complicated for British nationals living in France.

"In short Brexit would throw everything into the air and we don’t know where or how it will all land," Peretz said.

"Britain would have to negotiate with the EU as a bloc and if some eastern European countries are not happy with their nationals being barred from working in Britain then countries like France and Germany could stand with them.

"Of course people won’t be just sent back on the next flight. That’s just scaremongering. Nothing will immediately or drastically change, but it will certainly become more complicated for people to go and live in France."

In the run up to the referendum a UK parliamentary committee concluded that Brits living in France and other EU countries would be left in “ghastly” legal limbo for years.

The committee's chair, the Conservative MP Lord Boswell of Aynho said: “The rights of some two million UK citizens living abroad would need to be determined, as would the rights of a similar number of EU citizens living in the UK.

“This is complex stuff – you are talking about the right to residence, to healthcare and to schooling, about maintenance payments and access to children, about research projects and contracts that cross borders, sorting all this out would be a daunting task.”

While many believe agreements will be made to preserve the status of Brits living in the EU and EU nationals living in Britain, many won't want to wait that long.

SEE ALSO: Worried after Brexit? Here's how to become French

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also