Oxford marks tenth anniversary of European Research Council

The Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Louise Richardson, and the heads of 38 colleges and Permanent Private Halls have signed a letter to the Times arguing for the rights of EU citizens from outside the UK now living here to remain after Brexit. The letter reads: Sir, We write to urge MPs to support the House of Lords amendment guaranteeing the right of EU citizens who live in Britain to remain here after Brexit. Oxford University relies on EU citizens as lecturers, researchers and support staff. If they lost their right to work here, our university would suffer enormous damage which, given our role in research, would have reverberations across the UK. Our EU colleagues are not reassured by a government which tells them that deportation is not going to happen but declines to convert that assurance into law; some are worried, some are already making plans to leave. Many of our staff do not know whether absences abroad on research contracts will count against them. Others do not know, however longstanding their work and residence, whether their children will be able to remain in the UK.