Home Office faces high court action over loss of pre‑settled status for EU residents

The Guardian reported that the Home Office is being sued for an alleged breach of the Brexit withdrawal agreement after nearly 1,500 EU citizens were stripped of their full right to live in the United Kingdom. Campaign group the3million lodged court papers at the High Court on Friday, saying the cases involve people who had been granted pre‑settled status following Brexit but were later told the decisions were an “error”. The legal action claims the Home Office’s actions contravene the terms of the withdrawal agreement, which guarantees certain residency rights to EU nationals. The group says the affected individuals now face uncertainty over their ability to remain in the country. The lawsuit seeks clarification of the Home Office’s handling of pre‑settled status and aims to protect the rights promised under the post‑Brexit settlement.

Why it matters

The case could determine how the UK government must apply residency rights promised to EU citizens after Brexit.

Key details

Location

United Kingdom · Europe

Reported by

The Guardian

First reported

7 Nov 2026, 14:45 IST

Key names

EU, Home Office, UK, Brexit

Section

Politics

Figure cited

Campaign group the3million lodged papers at the high court on Friday after several cases emerged of EU citizens who were granted pre-settled status to remain in the country after Brexit but were told recently those decisions were an “error”. (The Guardian)

Sources

This is an independent summary. Read the full, original reporting from the publisher:

• The GuardianHome Office sued after stripping almost 1,500 EU citizens of right to live in UK 7 Nov, 14:45

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

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