British Ambassador Hugh Elliot rounded off his first Canarian visit since being appointed last August with a trip to Lanzarote, where he hosted a talk and Q&A session on Brexit at the Fondeadero Centre in Puerto del Carmen.
Accompanied by Consul Charmaine Arbouin, Vice-Consul Jackie Stevenson, and Lanzarote’s Honorary Consul Sue Thain, the Ambassador confirmed that a no-deal Brexit had now been “put to one side” and that citizens’ rights had mostly been agreed. He concluded his speech by urging British citizens in Spain to sort out their residency and driving licences by the end of this year, when the transition period ends.
During the Q&A session that followed, it became clear that many issues relating to future agreements between the Spanish and British governments will still need to be clarified, but that the rights of British citizens who are registered before the end of this year are largely guaranteed
A fuller report will appear in February’s magazine.
