Explained: Why is Boris Johnson’s father asking for French nationality?

Stanley Johnson, father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has said he is applying for French citizenship, just as the UK has finally ended its ties with the European Union. The eldest Johnson, who also belongs to the ruling Conservative Party of which his son is the current leader, voted for the UK to stay in the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Boris, on the other hand, was among the most prominent political figures who led the “Leave” campaign and subsequently consolidated his hold over the party, eventually becoming prime minister.

On New Years Eve, the UK has officially left the EU’s single market and customs union post-Brexit agreement with the block entered into force.

Why is Stanley Johnson asking for a French passport?

Speaking French to the French RTL radio, Stanley says he considers himself French, since his mother was born there. “It’s not about becoming French. If I understand correctly, I am French! My mother was born in France, her mother was completely French just like her grandfather ”, he declared.

The 80-year-old Stanley was among the first British officials to work for the EU after the country joined the bloc in 1973, according to France 24. He was also a member of the European Parliament (MEP) between 1979 and 1984 from the Conservative Party, then worked for the European Commission.

“I’ll always be European for sure,” Johnson said during the interview. “For me, it’s about getting what I already have and I’m very happy about that.”

Johnson voted “ Stay ” in 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. Having said that, having a connection like that with the EU is important, ”Johnson said, in an apparent reference to a European passport.

Although the UK has a post-Brexit deal with the EU, most Britons will lose their automatic right to work and travel in the bloc of 27 countries from 2021. According to one Guardian report, over 3.5 lakh Britons have applied to become dual nationals of another EU state from January 2020, in order to acquire EU citizenship.

Differences within the family

Boris’ father isn’t the only person in his family with a differing opinion on Brexit.

Jo Johnson, Boris’s brother and Conservative MP, left a cabinet post in 2018 to express support for stronger ties with the EU.

His sister Rachel Johnson, a journalist, left the Conservative Party in 2017 to protest Brexit and joined the Liberal Democrats, which are 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 was granted nationality, she too would apply to become a French national.