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(CNN) – Stanley Johnson, the father of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said he intends to obtain French citizenship. His comments come just hours before the UK’s final transition out of the European Union.
Johnson, a former member of the European Parliament, told French radio station RTL that he “will always be European” in an interview broadcast Thursday.
“It is not about becoming French. If I understood correctly, I am French, “he told RTL in French, highlighting his family’s bond with the country.
«My mother was born in France, her mother was totally French like her grandfather. So for me it is a question of recovering what I already have, “he said about the decision to become a French citizen. So I am very happy.
Britain officially leaves the single market and the EU customs union when the transition period ends at 11 pm GMT (6 pm ET) on New Year’s Eve.
The post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK comes into effect at that time, after the two sides agreed to a last-minute deal. But most Britons will start 2021 by losing their ability to work and travel freely across the 27-nation bloc.
Stanley Johnson insisted that Brexit will not mark the end of European identity for him or the English. ‘I will always be European, that’s for sure. You cannot say to the English: ‘You are not European,’ “Johnson told RTL.
“Europe is always more than the common market, it is more than the European Union,” he added. “But having said that, yes, having that link with the European Union is important.”
The prime minister’s father has been frequently in the headlines since his son began his term in office. In July, he was criticized for traveling to Greece while the UK was in lockdown. And last December, the night his son won a landslide election, Stanley Johnson was accused of making an Islamophobic comment on television.
