British Embassy hosts new Madrid event to address Brexit uncertainty

The British Embassy in Madrid will host an informative event on Thursday, March 21, to update UK residents living in Spain with the latest information regarding Britain’s exit from the European Union, a process commonly known as “Brexit.”

Ambassador Simon Manley and his consular team will be on hand to answer questions about Brexit and the recent royal decree passed by the Spanish government, which will offer new residency papers to around 400,000 UK nationals in the case the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement on their future relationship.

Ambassador Simon Manley and his consular team will be on hand to answer questions about Brexit and the recent royal decree passed by the Spanish government

They will also be joined on the platform by Michael Harris, the president of EuroCitizens, a Spain-based organization that seeks to defend the rights of Britons in Spain and Spaniards in the UK.

The team will cover a range of issues for those with specific questions about living in Spain or who want to know more about how Brexit might affect them.

Ahead of the event, which comes hot on the heels of a similar session in Madrid in February, British Consul Sarah-Jane Morris said: “We recognize the current uncertainty for UK nationals in Spain and we will continue to do all we can to update citizens as and when we have more information.

“In the meantime, I continue to urge all UK nationals living in Spain to ensure you are correctly registered and to stay up to date with the latest news, by signing up for email alerts and visiting the Living in Spain guide on gov.uk and following our Brits in Spain social media channels, including on Facebook.”

There is no need to register before the event, but space at the venue – Teatros Luchana – will be limited.

The event will take place on Thursday, March 21, at 6.30pm in Teatros Luchana, Calle Luchana 38, Madrid.

Advice for UK nationals living in Spain can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/living-in-spain.

Anti-Brexit demonstration in Madrid

The Eurocitizens organization – which works to defend EU citizenship rights to live, work and study for UK nationals in Spain and Spanish nationals in the UK – has organized a demonstration in central Madrid on Saturday, March 23, timed to coincide with a demonstration against Brexit that will be taking place in London at the same time.

The organization is inviting people to come to the Plaza Margaret Thatcher (Metro: Colón) at 12pm on Saturday to demonstrate, and states that its aim is "to support the third March for a People's Vote in London, because staying in the EU is the best way for us to keep our existing rights."

Eurocitizens is also campaigning for "the ring-fencing of the citizens' rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement, to give legal protection to the five million Europeans in the UK and Britons in the EU."

Saturday's event will include speeches, a link-up with London, a video about EuroCitizens, poems, music and activities for children and adults.

The organizers are inviting attendees to come dressed in blue and yellow, to bring placards with slogans and to "be ready to have fun and make lots of noise."

For more information, head to the Eurocitizens webpage.