Interviewed by the BBC, Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab assured the three million-plus EU27 nationals currently in the UK that they would not be "turfed out" if no deal was reached with Brussels, though he added that he was confident an agreement was possible.

EU citizens will not be forced to leave

He said the UK had a "moral obligation" to EU citizens and that it was "inconceivable" they would be forced to leave in the event of a no deal, as some "hair-raising scare stories" have suggested."We hugely value the contribution of EU citizens here in the UK and I am confident that in the unlikely eventuality that we don't have a deal, we will move swiftly to secure their position," Mr Raab said."It is inconceivable we would do anything other than make sure that they are legally in a position where they're secure to stay. We are talking about real people...and we have got a moral obligation."There's no question that we're going to see EU citizens turfed out. We've made that clear in the past. I've made that clear in the past, I'm happy to give that reassurance today."

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Visit our Brexit pages for all the latest Brexit news 

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Significant issues to overcome in Brexit negotiations

Mr Raab's comments came after he and Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, held a press conference after the latest round of talks in Brussels. The pair admitted there were still "significant issues" to overcome, including a future trade relationship and the retention of an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.Mr Barnier added, "Our challenge for the coming weeks is to try and define an ambitious partnership between the UK and the EU – a partnership that has no precedent."This partnership has to respect the single market and the foundations of the European project, and if this is well understood we can conclude the negotiations successfully."

The effect of a 'no deal' on legal services

Meanwhile, lawyers in the UK's legal services sector became the latest group of professionals to warn about the harmful effects on their business should there not be a Brexit deal.The Law Society said growth in the sector could halve by 2025 if there was no deal. The organisation said growth was forecast to rise by 2.2 per cent between 2019-2025 but that this would reduce to 1.1 per cent if the British were forced to adopt World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

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Relocate's Brexit Challenges workshop on Friday 28 September will address current global mobility challenges including Brexit, setting up in a new dominion, relocation policy design, various aspects of risk management as well as talent management, diversity and inclusion issues. Find out more here.

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According to the society's report, a 'no deal' scenario would also result in between 4,000-5,000 fewer people being employed in the sector in seven years' time.Christina Blacklaws, president of the Law Society, said, "UK legal services look to have been relatively buoyant through 2017-18, thanks to a combination of Brexit-related work, steady demand from UK businesses and an uptick in business from non-UK clients taking advantage of the depreciation of the pound."However, Brexit is likely to have a significant negative impact on the legal sector in the medium and longer term."This is largely due to the knock-on impact of Brexit on the wider economy as demand for legal services relies on the success of other sectors in the UK economy."For more Brexit related news, visit our Brexit pages.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory  Get access to our free Global Mobility Toolkit

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