Social security coordination after Brexit: trying to take an egg out of an omelette?

This article examines the negotiations to secure social security and healthcare rights after Brexit for people who have exercised their right to free movement or move between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) in the future. The analysis is based upon examination of drafts of the Withdrawal Agreement informed by interviews with senior policy makers involved in the Brexit negotiations.

The article finds that while persons and benefits included in the Withdrawal Agreement mirror those of the current Coordinating Regulations the procedure for identifying eligibility is complicated and future arrangements might not provide comprehensive coverage and legal certainty.