The great Brexit exodus? Polish ambassador’s plea to his UK-based citizens to come back home
Poland’s ambassador to the UK, Arkady Rzegocki, wrote a letter to Poles living in Britain urging them to “seriously consider” returning to their homeland after Brexit has been completed.
The letter was posted on the ambassador’s official Twitter account. In it, Rzegocki writes that “the rapidly growing economy of our country creates more and more opportunities for citizens for development and good living conditions in the country.”
Drodzy Rodacy na Wyspach,W związku z prawdopodobnym wyjściem UK z UE i wymogiem rządu 🇬🇧 dot. uzyskania #settledstatus, zwracam Państwa uwagę na konieczność złożenia takiego wniosku w sytuacji, jeśli chcecie Państwo pozostać w UK po #brexit.Więcej na https://t.co/wbv6F7SHRgpic.twitter.com/BprYtnDLx0
— Arkady Rzegocki 🇵🇱 (@ArkadyRzegocki) September 17, 2019
Official data shows that, as of 2016, there were 911,000 Polish-born UK residents, making them the biggest foreign-born community living in the British Isles. Many of these are working in the NHS and social care, as well as the construction and hospitality sectors.
Poles make up a large number of the estimated 60,000 seasonal employees who were working in the fields in 2017, picking fruit and vegetables. By comparison, barely one percent of that workforce was British.
Research conducted by Jonathan Portes, a professor in economics and public policy at King’s College London, showed that the average EU migrant arriving in Britain in 2016 will contribute £78,000 ($97,360) to the UK public finances over their lifetime.
Also on rt.com Risk of no-deal Brexit ‘very real’ but would be UK government’s ‘choice’ – EU’s JunckerThe average net fiscal contribution of an immigrant was £440 ($550) more than that of a British native.
The ambassador’s appeal followed his concern that Poles living in the UK have not applied for post-Brexit registered status in sufficient numbers. According to Rzegocki’s letter, only 27 percent of UK-based Polish citizens submitted an application, which he called “alarmingly low level.”
The reaction to Rzegocki’s proposal on social media was far from welcoming, however, with one Polish man on Twitter explaining how he left Poland back in 2005 and has since settled quite well in a “house with a garden and a well-paid job with two vacations.”
Panie Ambasadorze.W roku 2005 Wyjechalem z Lodzi jako 43 latek z braku pracy. Tutaj mam swoj dom z ogrodami, stala dobrze platna praca, 2x w roku wakacje Co Za tym idzie Po co mam wracac do Polski.Pozdrawiam
— Stefan Olczak (@StiviChester) September 17, 2019
Facebook users were even more acerbic, often resorting to sarcasm. “So I should just abandon my life, my family and my home and return to nothing? Thank you, packing my bag now...” one of them commented. Another said that “he likes the ambassador’s sense of humor.”
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