Boris Johnson’s father says he will seek French citizenship, hours before Brexit

Johnson, a former MEP, told French radio station RTL that he “will always be European” in an interview aired on Thursday.

“It’s not about becoming French. If I understood correctly, I’m French,” he told RTL in French, highlighting his family’s link to the country.

“My mother was born in France, her mother was completely French like her grandfather. So for me it’s about getting back what I already have,” he said of the decision to become a French citizen. “So I’m very happy.”

Britain officially leaves the EU single market and customs union when the transition period ends at 23:00 GMT (18:00 ET) on New Year’s Eve.

The post-Brexit trade agreement between the EU and the UK enters into force at that time, after the two sides reached a last-minute deal. But most Britons will start in 2021 by losing their ability to work and travel freely across the 27-nation bloc.

Stanley Johnson insisted that Brexit will not mark the end of European identity for him or the English people. “I will always be European, of course. You can’t tell the English, ‘You’re not European,'” Johnson told RTL.

“Europe is always more than the common market, it is more than the European Union,” he added. “But yes, yes, it’s important to have that link with the European Union.”

The prime minister’s father has often been in the headlines since his son began his term. In July, he was criticized for traveling to Greece while the UK was closed. And last December – the night his son won a defeat election – Stanley Johnson was accused of making an Islamophobic comment on television.