Britons ‘preparing to ditch UK passports to become GERMAN’ as Brexit talks loom
BRITONS terrified of the looming triggering of Article 50 are reportedly preparing to ditch the UK to obtain German citizenship.
Germany said to have the most 'powerful' passport
British nationals living in Germany face an uncertain future as Theresa May looks to guarantee the rights of UK citizens living abroad as part of her Brexit negotiations.
Up to 100,000 British citizens live in the country, compared to the 300,000 Germans residing in the UK.
Many Britons are ready to take up German citizenship ahead of Brexit
Applications for passports at the German embassy in London have spiked
Figures from the German embassy in London show there has been a spike in Britons applying for German citizenship, with many of them being descendants of German Jews.
Germany’s Article 116 stipulates that any Jew whose citizenship was stripped by the Nazi-era government may have their citizenship restored – including distant relatives.
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Author and Jewish writer Thomas Harding said: “Britain took in my family at a time of trauma, and I’m grateful for that.
“But taking German citizenship is not about saying ‘goodbye’ to Britain, but ‘hello’ to Europe.”
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Accoring to the embassy figures, more than 550 British Jews are believed to have applied for German citizenship since the June 23 referendum.
Up to 20 per cent of German citizens are described as having a “migrant” background, according to official figures.
Theresa May is reportedly looking to guarantee the right to free movement of British citizens in Europe, but would have to thrash out a deal with the 27 other countries in the Brussels bloc.
The deal would also likely involve retaining freedom of movement rights of EU nationals residing in the UK before the Brexit starting gun is fired – likely to be next month.