Sweden's Centre party has pledged to introduce legislation to protect British citizens facing deportation due to Brexit-related administrative issues, should it enter government after the upcoming general election. Niels Paarup-Petersen, the party's migration spokesperson, confirmed the plan would reopen the application process, allowing those threatened with removal to reapply to stay in the country.
Promise to reopen applications
Paarup-Petersen said the Centre party, if successful in forming a new centre-left coalition, would change the law to end the suffering of individuals like 78-year-old British widow Joyce Thomas, who has been ordered to leave Sweden by next Wednesday after 21 years in the country. He emphasized that many affected individuals have every right to remain but are being denied due to minor paperwork issues, with no flexibility shown by authorities.
“We have seen many appalling cases, people who are in a vulnerable state who have every right to be here but are being denied that right because of a minor administrative problem. There has been no leeway whatsoever,” Paarup-Petersen said. “People are paying the price, but Sweden doesn’t win either. We need a slight touch of humanity here.”
Recent cases highlight crisis
The announcement follows the detention of a British man in Stockholm by police on Tuesday, ahead of a threatened deportation, adding to a series of cases involving British citizens over the past month. His wife has appealed to Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, to intervene, but no British politician or European Commission official has commented publicly on the matter. The Left party has described the situation as “damaging” to UK-Sweden relations, particularly at a time when a potential reset with the EU is being discussed.
Al Pinkerton MP, Europe spokesperson for the UK's Liberal Democrat party, also called on Burnham to act, stating: “This is the human cost of Brexit: British citizens who built their lives in Europe decades ago now facing detention and deportation. The extraordinarily high refusal rate in Sweden should set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street. Andy Burnham must urgently raise these cases with the Swedish government and demand that the protections promised to British citizens under the withdrawal agreement are being honoured.”
Criticism of Sweden's hardline approach
Paarup-Petersen criticized Sweden's current right-wing government for its “appalling” approach to British citizens affected by Brexit. He argued that the country's strict immigration stance has influenced how it handles its obligations under the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, a legally binding treaty designed to protect EU citizens in the UK and British nationals in the EU before the transition period ended in 2021.
“Unfortunately I am not surprised because there is no middle ground here on migration. It is just hard rules and there is little consideration of the way people live in reality,” he said. He also expressed surprise at the number of British residents unaware of the application deadline, calling it a significant issue. Paarup-Petersen suggested the European Commission could assist but noted that “this is a problem that we can solve in Sweden” quickly with help from the British embassy.
Election context and broader impact
Sweden holds its general election next Sunday, with recent polls showing four centre-left parties, including the Centre party and the Social Democrats, leading the government's centre-right coalition. Two weeks ago, the centre-left bloc held a 10-point lead for the 13 September ballot, according to an opinion poll by public broadcaster SVT.
Paarup-Petersen's promise follows weeks of revelations about British citizens who had lived in Sweden long before Brexit but received removal orders or were deported. Cases include Thomas, a former nurse who said she is “sick” with worry about leaving her home, her son, grandchildren, and her husband's grave. Others include 34-year-old John Sellers, deported in January despite living in Sweden since age 10, and George Mason, 74, who has dementia and requires round-the-clock care, having lived in Sweden for 25 years.
Paarup-Petersen described Sweden's wider immigration system as “messed up,” citing a case of a 95-year-old wheelchair-bound Iraqi woman told she would be deported after 20 years in the country. The Centre party's proposal aims to provide a swift solution, with Paarup-Petersen stating, “We have an election in a week and I hope we can change things quickly because this is very much a Swedish problem as it looks like other countries in the EU do not have the same problem.”
