The father of the UK prime minister on Thursday confirmed he is in the process of applying for a French passport. As Reuters has learned, Stanley Johnson plans to maintain his ties with the EU after Brexit.
Stanley Johnson is not only a father of Boris Johnson but the former member of the European Parliament. In 2016, the politician voted for Remain in Britain. Now, PM’s father said he wanted to become a French citizen because of strong family links to the neighbouring country.
80-year-old Stanley Johnson added that perspective of the French citizenship ‘makes me very happy’.
“If I understand it correctly, I am French. My mother was born in France, her mother was totally French as was her grandfather. So for me, it is about reclaiming what I already have,” said Mr Johnson.
The British prime minister’s father is fluent in the French language, he always said he remains a European, and that’s for sure. The veteran politician believes that having a tie with the European Union is important.
His son, prime minister of the UK, was the public face of the Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum. Boris Johnson insists that the kingdom can “prosper mightily” as a fully sovereign nation outside what he sees as an over-bureaucratized EU.
But on Wednesday the prime minister sounded a more conciliatory note as parliament approved a new trade deal with the EU, saying: “This is not the end of Britain as a European country. We are in many ways the quintessential European civilisation… and we will continue to be that.”
On Thursday night, the United Kingdom officially leaves the EU’s orbit, after an often strained 48-year liaison with the European project.
