Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said:

“It is welcome that the prime minister has listened to Prospect and others who have been calling for the UK to maintain membership of key EU agencies like the European Aviation Safety Agency and reversed her previous position, but there are still serious questions to answer about what the future relationship with the EU will look like.

“For example, if the famous ‘red line’ on the European Court of Justice can be crossed for some EU agencies, why is the government still insisting the UK will leave Euratom and risk the future of the nuclear industry? The prime minister needs to explain what she means by ‘a close association with Euratom’ and why she is still ruling out full participation.

“The prime minister said that she has always put the concerns of EU citizens in the UK at the heart of her approach to Brexit, but she must accept that that is not how it has felt to the millions of people who have had their rights and futures cast into doubt by her decision to end free movement. It is essential that we get more clarity on how we can preserve the ability of UK and EU citizens working in areas like science and technology to be able to move freely around Europe to work and live.

“Before this speech Prospect set out a Brexit checklist to show how it was possible to protect jobs and rights while maintaining high standards and cooperation with the EU, this speech still falls well short of meeting this test.”