I met with representatives of the Dutch Embassy in London, including Ambassador Simon Smits, to celebrate King’s Day, the main national holiday in the Netherlands. There are strong economic, historic and cultural ties between the Netherlands and the UK, in particular the North East of England with our proud heritage of shipbuilding.

There are estimated to be over 73,000 Dutch people living in the UK, while 80,000 British citizens reside in the Netherlands. The Labour Party has been clear since the Brexit negotiations started that the UK Government should guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK. However, the Government has always refused to do so, causing great uncertainty for EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK.