Stanley Johnson, the father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has said he is applying for French citizenship, just as the UK finally ended its ties with the European Union. Johnson, who also belongs to the ruling Conservative Party of which his son is the current leader, voted in favor of the UK remaining in the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Boris, on the other hand, was one of the most prominent political figures who led the ‘Get Out’ campaign and subsequently consolidated his control over the party, eventually becoming Prime Minister.
On New Year’s Eve, the UK officially left the single market and the EU customs union as its post-Brexit deal with the block came into force.
Why is Stanley Johnson applying for a French passport?
Speaking in French to France RTL radio, Stanley said that he considers himself French, since his mother was born there. “It is not about becoming French. If I understand correctly, I am French! My mother was born in France, her mother was completely French like her grandfather, ”he said.
Stanley, 80, was one of the first UK officials to work for the EU after the country joined the bloc in 1973, according to France24. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1979 to 1984 from the Conservative Party, then went on to work for the European Commission.
“I will always be European, that’s for sure,” Johnson said during the interview. “For me it is a question of obtaining what I already have and I am very happy about that.”
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Johnson voted ‘Stay’ during the 2016 referendum, but then changed his mind and has since expressed support for his departure.
“You cannot tell the English: you are not European. Europe is more than the single market, it is more than the European Union. That said, having a link like that with the EU is important, ”Johnson said, in an apparent reference to an EU passport.
Although the UK has signed a post-Brexit deal with the EU, most Britons will lose their automatic right to work and travel in the 27-nation bloc from 2021. According to a guardian According to the report, more than 3.5 lakhs of Britons applied to become dual citizens of another EU state from January 2020, in order to acquire EU citizenship.
Differences within the family
Boris’ father is not the only person in his family who has had a divergent opinion on Brexit.
Jo Johnson, Boris’s brother and a Conservative Party MP, left a cabinet position in 2018 to express his support for stronger ties with the EU.
His sister Rachel Johnson, a journalist, left the Conservative Party in 2017 in protest against Brexit and joined the Liberal Democratic Party, which is currently the fourth largest political group in the British Parliament.
Rachel had revealed her father’s decision to apply for a French passport in March 2020, and also said that if he obtains citizenship, she would also apply to become a French citizen.
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