Link: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/17/we-are-in-hiding-briton-severe-health-issues-fears-deportation-sweden

Mark Smith, who has severe health issues, says he was told three times he needed to do nothing in order to remain after Brexit. I personally doubt that, since there has been very clear legislation regarding exactly this situation.

There’s nothing in the article suggesting any of the people facing deportation voted in favour of brexit, is there? This doesn’t feel like LAMF.

But the tone of all the people quoted in the article… holy shit. Big “these rules should not apply to British people” energy.

Yes, the very clear legislation was that British citizens resident in the EU at the time of Brexit retained full residency rights. The current Swedish government is choosing to ignore the law for some reason.

Because the withdrawal agreement was that these rules would not apply to British people already resident in the EU, just as EU citizens resident in the UK.

Looks like he just didn't ask the right people the right questions and made assumptions, eg asking the tax office about immigration rules and, because it's a government department, thinking that was enough. A tax department does not make immigration rules unsurprisingly to most, except this guy. That's less LAMF and more idiocy.

This is basically the attitude to Brits abroad: they think they are a special class who can do anything they want.

He basically fucked up and didn't do the right thing or find the right answers. Plenty of people managed to secure residency or even better citizenship in EU countries after Brexit.

He was unaware, however, that Sweden was among 13 of the 27 EU member states that required Britons living in the country before Brexit to make a formal application to remain. Other countries, such as Spain, did not opt for that system and just required Britons to declare they were a resident.

Not sure who to believe here

Initially Sweden advised UK nationals that no registration was necessary. They have recently changed their minds and “forgot” to tell them.

If the advice given from the tax agency is in writing, then that's an open and shut case in my view. He was told he didn't need to do anything, and believed them.

Nah, this isn't it, bud.

Considering the deadline was 2021, I'm not sure I'd characterize this as a recent change of heart.

Do you have any source for this? I'm having a tough time finding anything supporting your claim that Sweden has changed their position on this since brexit came into effect.

I can easily find bombastic claims from pro-brexit talking heads unilaterally asserting that the EU will continue to extend every privilege in a post brexit world, but I suspect it's possible they were not actually deriving those assurances from discussions with the governments which they claimed they were speaking on behalf of.