End Brexit uncertainty, Scottish leader tells UK

LONDON

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said it “breaks my heart” that she cannot guarantee the future of European Union nationals in Britain.

Speaking on Wednesday to an audience of EU citizens in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said it was disgraceful for the U.K. government not to guarantee the status of European nationals and said the uncertainty generated since the Brexit referendum result “strikes at the heart of humanity”.

Britain voted by a 52-48 percent margin to leave the European Union in a referendum two months ago but is not expected to begin exit negotiations with other member states until January. Scotland – unlike England and Wales – voted by a clear majority to stay within the EU.

Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated she wants to protect the status of existing EU citizens in the U.K., provided a reciprocal deal can be negotiated for British citizens in Europe but has stopped short of issuing a blanket guarantee.

However, Sturgeon said May’s stance was “not good enough”.

“You’re not bargaining chips, you are human beings with families, jobs, friends and lives here. I believe you have a right to certainty and peace of mind,” she said at the event organized by the devolved Scottish government headed by her pro-independence Scottish National Party.

“It really breaks my heart that as First Minster, as the elected leader of this country, I am not able to sit here and give you the guarantees and the certainty that you want.

“People living here and trying to get on with their lives here should not suddenly have this question mark over their future, and the U.K. government could at the stroke of a pen, today if it chose to, put an end to this uncertainty.”