Currently, six British MEPs serve as Chairs or Vice-Chairs on European Parliament committees.
However, they are reportedly coming under pressure to cede their positions in the wake of the Brexit result, which will see the UK leave the EU.
The positions could be at stake as soon as January, the halfway point of the current Parliament, when committee chairmanships and vice-chairmanships - some held by British deputies - could change hands.
Committee Chairs stay in post for the full five year parliamentary term, but it is possible this could change for British MEPs in January, if not sooner.
On this and growing speculation that there may be attempts to reduce the status of British MEPs to that of mere "observers", a source in Parliament's ECR group - where British Tories reside - told this website, "Yes, I've seen that this is one idea but there are no formal proposals."
The source added, "We've always made clear that as long as the UK remains a member of the EU and major budgetary contributor then the UK MEPs must continue to hold their full mandates."
A source in Parliament's Greens/EFA group said, "Lots of people have different ideas, so I'm sure there are vindictive MEPs in different groups that might consider that.
"Our group believes it would be wrong to pre-empt the outcome of the likely negotiations between the EU and the UK. MEPs from the UK in our group will continue to perform the roles they have performed. Other groups will decide for themselves."
Vicky Ford, the UK Tory MEP who chairs the highly influential internal market committee, said, "We are elected by people in Europe to serve out our mandate. We were elected into a Parliament and it is the d'Hondt system that allocated certain responsibilities within this Parliament. As long as we have not yet negotiated exit legislation, that continues to affect us."
UK Socialist deputy Claude Moraes, who chairs the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee, said there was a "terrible sadness that something has been lost."
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, of the Centre for European Reform, predicts there could be pressure to oust Britons from key jobs but warns against trying to "punish" the UK and alienating it before it has left the EU.
Their comments come in the wake of the UK decision to relinquish its upcoming six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. The host country gets the chance to set the EU agenda for six months, so there was no surprise at the decision.
Britain had been due to head the EU Council presidency in July 2017, but wants to concentrate instead on the negotiations to leave the EU.
New UK Prime Minister Theresa May told European Council President Donald Tusk, "It was the right thing to do."