British PM Boris Johnson’s pro-Brexit father Stanley becomes French
- The elder Johnson drew flak for his citizenship bid, with most Britons losing the right to travel freely across the EU as a result of the UK exiting the bloc
- Stanley Johnson’s ties to France are through his French mother, and he speaks the language fluently
The Brexit-supporting father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acquired French citizenship after making an application last year, a French justice ministry source told Agence France-Presse on Thursday.
A Conservative who once worked for the European Commission in Brussels, Stanley Johnson opposed Brexit at first but swung behind the EU departure project following 2016’s narrow referendum vote that was championed by his son.
The elder Johnson’s ties to France are through his French mother, and he speaks the language fluently.
The 81-year-old filed his citizenship application at the French consulate in London in November last year, with a six-month deadline for the justice ministry to object elapsing on Wednesday.
“Based on the facts in his application, and without a refusal by the justice minister, Mr Stanley Johnson acquired French nationality on May 18 2022,” the ministry said.