Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) and his father Stanley Johnson. ((File photo)
The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the plan to seek French citizenship, just hours before the United Kingdom was due to leave the European Union (EU) trading rules.
Stanley Johnson told a French radio show on Thursday that he is applying for French citizenship, because his mother was born in France.
"Its not about becoming French," he said. "Its about reclaiming what I already have."
"I will always be European," he said. "Having a tie with the European Union is important."
If his citizenship application is accepted, Johnson will acquire a passport of an EU member country, with the advantage of free travel across the bloc, as free movement of Britons in the EU comes to an end.
The 80-year-old former Conservative Member of the European Parliament voted to remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
In the referendum, held in June 2016, 17.4 million voters, or 52%, backed Brexit while 16.1 million, or 48%, backed staying in the EU.
England and Wales voted out but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in.
The country eventually ended the de facto membership of the EU on Thursday, 11 months after it formally left the bloc on January 31, last year.
The prime minister, who was the face of the Brexit campaign, and took the kingdom out of the EU, described the departure as an "amazing moment" for the country, on Thursday.
"We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it," said Johnson.
‘Scotland will be back to EU
Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, however, said that Scotland would be back to the EU soon.
She took to twitter just as the UK completed its transition period out of the bloc, calling on the EU to "Keep the light on."
"Scotland will be back soon, Europe," she said.
Back in November, Sturgeon called for a second independence referendum to be held "in the earlier part" of the next Scottish parliament."
Her Scottish National Party (SNP), which has formed the government since 2007, is expected to perform strongly in elections to the Scottish parliament in May.
Johnsons government, government, however, said there should not be another independence referendum in the near future.
Scots voted 55-45 percent against independence in a 2014 referendum.
Johnson said that the first referendum was decisive and should be respected.
Decision to suspend US tariffs already paying off: UK
Britains exit came as the United States announced plans to increase tariffs on products of EU member countries, including France and Germany, in retaliation to tariffs imposed by the European bloc.
US tariffs are on "aircraft manufacturing parts from France and Germany" among other products, said the US Trade Representative (USTR) on Wednesday.
"The UK wasnt hit because we suspended tariffs and brought the US to the negotiating table," a British official said on Thursday.
The US and the EU have long been engaged in a multi-billion-dollar trade war over state subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.
In November, the World Trade Organization (WTO) authorized the EU to levy additional customs duties on American imports amounting to almost €3.4 billion ($4 billion) a year.
Britain, however, said earlier last month that it would use its freedom outside the bloc to suspend tit-for-tat tariffs imposed on American goods.
The decision came into effect on Friday - the day its exit from the EUs rules and regulations is complete.
Britain said on Thursday that its decision to suspend tariffs was already bearing fruit.
The UK said it suspended tariffs to in an attempt to de-escalate the international trade conflict, but it could re-impose them "if satisfactory progress towards an agreeable settlement is not made" with Washington.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/21662
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