The French government cast a favorable light on Friday on an offer reported by the father of the Prime Minister of Great Britain to acquire French nationality, saying it shows how the British are linked to the European Union, of which they are no longer a part. .
Reports that Stanley Johnson, father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is trying to keep his foot in Europe by taking French citizenship made headlines as his son led the UK’s separation from the EU on Thursday. Britain left the European bloc’s vast single market for people, goods and services at 11 pm London time on New Year’s Eve.
Visiting Calais on Friday to inspect how the French port is adjusting after Brexit, the French minister for European affairs, Clément Beaune, described the application for citizenship as emblematic of the enduring British feeling for Europe.
“If Johnson’s father is entitled to French nationality, wants to remain a European citizen and become a French citizen, then let’s look at that,” he said. “For me, this is a wink, or a sign, that many Britons, in different ways, still love Europe.
“There are many people in the UK for whom this is also a sad day,” added Beaune.
Elder Johnson, 80, is a former member of the European Parliament who supported staying in the EU at Britain’s accession referendum in 2016. He has since expressed support for his son while the prime minister led the UK out. the block.
French nationality would give elderly Johnson the automatic rights that other Britons lost, including the possibility to travel and live freely in all 27 EU countries.
Stanley Johnson told broadcaster RTL on Thursday that he was in the process of “recovering” his French identity.
“It is not about becoming French. If I understand correctly, I’m French. My mother was born in France. His mother was entirely French, as was his grandfather, ”he told RTL. “So for me it is a matter of recovering what I already have.
“I will always be European. That’s right, ”said Stanley Johnson. “You cannot say to the English, ‘You are not Europeans.’ Europe is always more than the common market, more than the European Union. ”