UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s father Stanely Johnson has said he is in the process of applying for French passport to maintain his ties with the European Union, Reuters reported.

Eighty-year-old Stanley Johnson, who is a former Conservative politician, Thursday said he wanted to become a French citizen because of his strong family ties with France.

“If I understand it correctly, I am French. My mother was born in France, her mother was totally French as was her grandfather. So for me it is about reclaiming what I already have. And that makes me very happy”, Johnson told RTL radio in an interview in which he spoke in French.

He also said he will always be a European for sure. “One cannot tell the British people: you are not Europeans. Having a tie with the European Union is important,” he added.

Stanley Johnson is also a former member of the European Parliament who voted ‘Remain’ in Britain’s 2016 referendum. His son, Boris, however was the face of the ‘Leave’ campaign in the 2016 referendum, endorsing the idea that Britain can “prosper mightily” as a fully sovereign nation outside the EU.

Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal was also approved by the UK Parliament less than 24 hours before the country’s final split from the European Union. The House of Lords gave the green light to the agreement late Wednesday, just a day before the UK leaves the EU single market when the transition period expires at 11 pm Thursday.

Boris Johnson said the moment will mark “a new beginning in our country’s history and a new relationship with the EU as their biggest ally”.

(With inputs from agencies)