To be fair, EASA has softened its stance a lot since January and it is extremely easy to get an EASA license for UK pilots, especially if compared to all others in the same boat (third country nationals). There is still the need to be able to live and work in the UK for those outfits, or for UK airlines basing in the EU to be able to live and work in each country (there is no EU work permit) where they have bases.