DAVID Davis has insisted there is a "moral imperative" to reach a quick deal on the rights of European Union nationals in Britain and UK expats on the continent.

During a visit to the Czech Republic, the Brexit Secretary acknowledged an early agreement on citizens' rights had not been possible because the UK and EU had fundamental disagreements on the role of the European Court of Justice.

Brussels wants the rights of EU nationals already in the UK to be overseen by the ECJ after Brexit but the demands are seen in London as unprecedented.

Mr Davis said a quick deal was needed to ease the concerns of the 3.2 million EU nationals living in the UK and the 1.2m British expats in Europe.

"We want to do this quickly as a moral imperative because we want to take away the anxiety of all of those four million people and give them some certainty in their future," he told a news conference after talks with Lubomir Zaoralek, the Czech foreign minister, in Prague.

Mr Davis also insisted British courts were "trustworthy" and stressed the role the EU wanted for the ECJ was rarely, if ever, seen elsewhere in the world.

However, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator, hit out at the UK's approach to the negotiations.

"The UK jeopardises citizens' rights by remaining silent on other key issues. Citizens should never be bargaining chips," he declared.

The European Parliament's cross-party Brexit steering group, headed by Mr Verhofstadt, backed the position set out by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier last week.

During the second round of Brexit talks, Mr Barnier's team reiterated their insistence on a role for the ECJ while new splits emerged on Britain's desire to carry out criminal record checks on EU nationals, who applied for so-called “settled status” in the country.

Mr Verhofstadt and the group said the British proposal would be "intrusive to people's privacy". They also called for a "mechanism" for the ECJ to play a "full role".

Meanwhile, Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, commenting on behalf of the Open Britain campaign, which seeks post Brexit close ties with the EU, said: "David Davis is right that guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in Britain is a 'moral imperative', which is why it is so disappointing that their status remains in limbo over a year after the referendum.

"Guaranteeing their rights unilaterally and immediately would have been the moral thing to do. And four months after the trigger of Article 50, it is clear little progress has been made.”

The former Culture Secretary added: "Both sides need to compromise to achieve a deal that guarantees the status of EU citizens. The bottom line is that it must be achieved quickly and that no EU national living in Britain should be any worse off as a result of Brexit."

In a separate development, a group of Tory backbenchers demanded the UK Government speed up the preparation of Britain’s ports for Brexit to avoid economic “gridlock”.

A report supported by the European Research Group of Conservative MPs stressed how urgent action was needed to improve customs checks, expedite infrastructure projects such as lorry parks and widen roads.