Doubled over a Heathrow baggage trolley, the former British business director is sobbing uncontrollably, emotionally and physically exhausted after being deported from Sweden.
Hours earlier, the 65-year-old had been marched onto a plane in Stockholm, separated from his home and his Swedish wife after a five-year battle to stay in the country following Brexit came to an end.
An only child with no children and no property in the UK, Charles has effectively been made homeless. He was last in the UK in 2022 for one week, and before that not since 2017, when he emigrated.
Sweden confirms 458 Britons deported or forcibly removed since Brexit
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“I have nothing, nothing in the UK at all,” says Charles, showing a text from the British consulate explaining where at Heathrow those suddenly left homeless can get help.
“All I want is to return to my wife, my home and my friends in Sweden and to live a quiet, peaceful life,” adds Charles, who does not want to publicly share his full identity.
His forced flight on Tuesday shows that deportations of British citizens who lived in Sweden before Brexit are continuing. Stockholm has already deported 458 British people after rejected residency applications — a higher proportion relative to its population than any EU member state.
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Charles is distraught after landing at Heathrow. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
The situation persists despite promises from opposition parties now on track to form a government that they will introduce urgent laws to give Britons a second chance to apply for residency.
“I’ve done nothing wrong but feel I’ve been treated like a criminal,” Charles says.
“Since arriving in Sweden nearly nine years ago, I’ve done everything I can to integrate myself into Swedish society. I’ve learned some basic Swedish, contributed to Swedish society and the Swedish economy, and for that, I’m being punished. Why are they doing this to good, honest, hard-working people like me and my wife?”
Shortly after disembarking in London, he sits down in an airport cafe to process what has just happened.
Pointing to a small holdall and a large reusable shopping bag, he says: “All I have is what my wife packed in my bag here with clothes and my little bag” — in which he has belongings handed back to him by the captain as he got off the plane.
The bag includes a plastic envelope, sealed and marked with the words Kriminalvården, the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, containing meagre belongings.
In it is a miniature tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush and earplugs given to him in the detention centre where he was locked up for two weeks.
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A bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and earplugs that was given to Charles in the Swedish detention centre where he was locked up for two weeks. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
A bright yellow envelope was also handed to him by the captain before disembarking, which he opens for the first time.
Inside is a police document saying he does not need to be “escorted”. Another says he is being deported over a failed residency application under the Aliens Act — his latest legal attempt to stay in Sweden after a pre-Brexit residency application, made on time, was rejected.
Charles’s plight started just over two weeks ago when he and his wife received a text requesting that they come to their local police station to discuss their migration case. They thought it was to discuss their five-year battle to persuade authorities they were in the country lawfully before Brexit. But he was immediately detained and told he would be deported.
“It was an incredible shock. I was distraught. This is not about leaving Sweden, this is about me being forced to leave my wife and my house. They are separating me from my wife,” he said. “They said we think that if we don’t detain you, you will abscond from Sweden because you are not cooperating.
“For the last nine years, all we’ve done is cooperate with theHe said he begged the authorities not to detain him, telling them he would leave voluntarily, but they refused. He asked if he could drive back to Britain “so at least I could take some belongings with me because I have nothing in the UK, and they said: ‘No, the decision has been made.'”
A document envelope issued by the Swedish police authority. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
Before Brexit, British citizens could live, work, study or retire in any other EU member state. Under EU law, deportation was reserved for exceptional cases involving criminality such as terrorism.
After Brexit, Britons and EU citizens who had exercised those free movement rights were told their rights to remain in their host country would be guaranteed under the legally binding withdrawal agreement.
The campaign group British in Europe has raised concerns about Sweden’s hardline approach for years, but this summer it became an election issue after a series of controversial cases emerged, including a removal order issued to a 78-year-old British widow, Joyce Thomas, who had been in the country for 21 years.
Charles looking for help at Heathrow. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
A 74-year-old British man with dementia in full-time care was also ordered to leave after 25 years, while another British man, 34, who had been in the country since he was 10, was deported in January.
These cases raised questions about whether Sweden’s hardline immigration stance had influenced decision-making on Britons there before Brexit — a group with special protection.
Charles says the experience has been humiliating, especially after a career in public service helping prisoners and unemployed people start businesses.
“When I first moved to Sweden, I thought it was a wonderful place to live. Clean air. We were very close to the sea. Forests, nature, the people I met when I first moved there were all generally very nice. That did change,” he said.
“Only two friends know what’s happened in the last couple of weeks. And they’re disgusted by it. One of them said, ‘I’m ashamed, I’m ashamed of what we’ve done to you.'”
Charles leaves Heathrow airport, heading into an uncertain future. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
Jane Golding, chair of British in Europe, says “it is another case that raises the question of whether Swedish implementation is in line with the spirit of the withdrawal agreement,” referring to the legally binding treaty that Michel Barnier, then the EU’s chief negotiator on Britain’s exit, and Boris Johnson, the then prime minister, promised would protect EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU.
“This British man who has sufficient means and a home and a Swedish wife in Sweden now faces homelessness in the UK where he has nothing,” she says. “This wasn’t the intention of the EU and UK negotiators of the agreement, who said that citizens should broadly be able to continue their lives as before,” she adds.
She points out that, unlike the UK, there is no statutory body in any member state to oversee the correct implementation of the withdrawal agreement. “Monitoring and support resources for UK citizens in the EU trying to enforce their rights are not commensurate with those in the UK, where there is a dedicated independent monitoring authority. Unfunded volunteers trying to help are overwhelmed,” says Golding.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs A British Man with Nothing in the UK After Separation from His Swedish Wife
Basic Questions
What does I have nothing in the UK at all actually mean
It means you have no home no belongings no income and no ties left in the UK Everything you owned or shared was in Sweden with your wife
Can I still be considered a UK resident if Ive lived abroad for years
Possibly UK residency depends on things like where you spend most of your time where you work and where your centre of life is Living abroad for years usually weakens your claim but its not automatic
Am I still a British citizen
Yes British citizenship doesnt disappear just because you lived abroad or got married to a foreign national You remain a citizen unless you formally renounced it
What rights do I have when I return to the UK
As a British citizen you have the right to enter live and work in the UK But you may not automatically qualify for benefits or housing that depends on your habitual residence status
Do I need a visa to return to the UK
No British citizens dont need a visa to enter the UK
Rights and Benefits
Can I claim benefits as soon as I arrive back in the UK
Not usually Most meanstested benefits require you to be habitually resident in the UK New arrivals are often subject to a threemonth wait or a more detailed assessment
What is the Habitual Residence Test
Its a test used to decide if you can claim certain benefits It looks at whether the UK is your main home and whether you plan to stay Factors include your reasons for returning your ties here and how long youve been away
Can I get emergency housing if I have nowhere to stay
Yes you can apply to your local council as homeless But if youve been living abroad they may say youre intentionally homeless or not a priority so be ready to explain your situation
What if I have no money at all when I land
You can apply for Universal Credit but payments take around five weeks In the meantime you might qualify for a ShortTerm Benefit Advance or help from charities like Shelter or Citizens Advice
