LONDON — The minister in charge of negotiating Britain’s exit from the European Union says some European Union citizens may not be allowed to stay after the UK leaves the bloc.

Brexit Secretary David Davis told the Mail on Sunday newspaper that he wants “a generous settlement for EU migrants here now and a generous settlement for British citizens in the EU.”

He dismissed suggestions the estimated 3 million EU nationals in Britain might have to leave, but said if there is a surge in arrivals before the deadline, the government may have to set a cutoff date.

"We may have to say that the right to indefinite leave to remain protection only applies before a certain date," he said. "But you have to make those judgments on reality, not speculation."

A desire to reduce immigration from other EU nations was a key reason many Britons voted last month to leave the EU. Under the bloc's rules, EU nationals can move feely among member states, and Britain has seen its population swelled by hundreds of thousands of new EU arrivals in recent years.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has been criticised for refusing to guarantee the right of EU citizens to remain. She says she needs to ensure that Britons living in EU countries get the same right.

Britain's vote to leave the EU has unleashed political and economic turmoil, as people and markets absorb the uncertainties about the country's economic future as it leaves the 28-nation single market of 500 million people.

Mr Davis said he believes Britain will be able to retain access to the single market while opting out of the EU's right to free movement. EU leaders say that's impossible, that the free movement of people is a key right, but Mr Davis said "everybody is taking starting positions."

"Of course they are talking tough," he said. "If I was negotiating to buy your house or your car my first offer wouldn't be my final one, would it?"

Meanwhile, the government is seeking to reassure Britons that the U.K. can build strong and profitable trade ties outside the EU.

Mrs May said she spoke on Saturday to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who expressed a desire for a free trade deal with Britain as soon as possible. 

"It is very encouraging that one of our closest international partners is already seeking to establish just such a deal," Mrs May said, although Britain can't make any new arrangements until it actually leaves the EU. AP