Johnson’s father applies for French citizenship after Brexit

The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the plan to seek French citizenship, just hours before the United Kingdom was due to leave the European Union (EU) trading rules.

Stanley Johnson told a French radio show on Thursday that he is applying for French citizenship because his mother was born in France.

"It's not about becoming French," he said. "It's about reclaiming what I already have."

“I will always be European," he said. “Having a tie with the European Union is important.”

If his citizenship application is accepted, Johnson will acquire a passport of an EU member country, with the advantage of free travel across the bloc, as free movement of Britons in the EU comes to an end.

The 80-year-old former Conservative Member of the European Parliament voted to remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

In the referendum, held in June 2016, 17.4 million voters, or 52%, backed Brexit while 16.1 million, or 48%, backed staying in the EU.

England and Wales voted out but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in.

The country eventually ended the de facto membership of the EU on Thursday, 11 months after it formally left the bloc on January 31, last year.

The prime minister, who was the face of the Brexit campaign, and took the kingdom out of the EU, described the departure as an "amazing moment" for the country, on Thursday.

MG