Stanley Johnson, the father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is applying for French citizenship just as the United Kingdom breaks away from the European Union. What is the reason for his decision?
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. The elder Johnson, who also belongs to the ruling Conservative Party of which his son is the current leader, voted for the UK to remain 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.
Why is Stanley Johnson applying for a French passport?
Speaking in French to France’s RTL radio, Stanley said 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 as was her grandfather,” he said.
Aged 80, Stanley was among the first civil servants from the UK 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) between 1979 and 1984 from the Conservative Party, and later 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’s a question of obtaining what I already have and I am very happy about that.”
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