The British prime minister’s father applied for French citizenship with the aim of maintaining ties with the European Union after Britain’s exit from the EU.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s father Stanley Johnson, a former member of the European Parliament, favored staying in the European Union during Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum. He told French radio station RTL on Thursday (Dec. 31) that he is currently in the process of applying for a French passport because of the family’s strong ties to France.
Stanley Johnson, 80, said in French, “If I understand correctly, I am French. My mother was born in France, her mother was completely French, and her grandfather was. So for me it’s just about getting back what I already have. That makes me very happy.”
He added, “I will always be European, that’s for sure. One cannot tell the British that: you are not European. It’s important to maintain a relationship with the EU.”
Stanley’s son, Prime Minister Johnson, was a figure in the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Johnson said Britain could achieve “great prosperity” as a fully sovereign nation.
But Prime Minister Johnson said Wednesday as the British Parliament approved a new trade deal with the European Union that “this is not the end of Britain as a European country. We are in many ways a quintessentially European civilization and we will remain so.”
Britain officially left the European Union at midnight Thursday.
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