A GOVERNMENT minister gave his backing to West Wirral's Conservative parliamentary candidate during a recent visit.

Brandon Lewis, Minister of State for the Home Office, met Laura Evans during a visit to the EUSS Settlement Resolution Centre in Liverpool.

He then visited the Globe office.

Mr Lewis said: "Laura is one of the most dedicated parliamentary candidates that I have met.

"I have enjoyed talking to Laura today about the issues affecting Wirral.

"As MP, she would be an enormous asset for the people of Wirral West."

Mr Lewis' visit to Merseyside comes as the Home Office published the latest official statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme up to August 31.

It showing that by the end of that month over 1.1 million applicants had been granted status under the Scheme.

The statistics show that almost 300,000 people applied in the month of August.

More than 1.2 million applications had been received from individuals in England, with marked increases also seen in applications from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Lewis continued: "We've been crystal clear – EU citizens are our friends and neighbours, and we want them to stay in the UK.

"I am delighted that over 1.5 million people have already applied.

"We are looking for reasons to grant status and this week I visited our hard-working Settlement Resolution team in Liverpool to see first-hand how we are supporting EU citizens to protect their rights and get the status they need."

The EU Settlement Scheme is designed to make it straightforward for EU citizens and their family members to stay after the UK leaves the EU.

More than 1,500 Home Office staff are working on the Scheme and there is a dedicated Settlement Resolution Centre, where staff are providing tailored support to guide applicants through the process.

Pam Gill, deputy chief executive officer at The Refugee and Migrant Centre, which has received almost £200,000 of Home Office grant funding, said: "We welcome the EU Settlement Scheme’s progress with over 1.5 million people having now applied for the status they need in order to live and work in the UK after Brexit.

"We want to do more and we encourage all eligible EU citizens and their families to apply so that they too can feel confident about their future in the United Kingdom after Brexit."