Brexit’s going so badly that even a key Brexiteer wants to live in Europe

Nigel Lawson
Fréa Lockley


Ex-chancellor Nigel Lawson has applied for French residency. This is the same Nigel Lawson who was also chair of the pro-Brexit Vote Leave campaign.

No, really

On 30 May, Lawson told French newspaper Connexion:

he has no regrets about Brexit despite living in France – and is applying for his carte de séjour.

A carte de séjour will guarantee Lawson permanent residency rights in France where he lives. He also explained to Connexion that:

he considers the extra paperwork to be among certain ‘tiresome rather than serious’ impacts which Brexit may have on expats like himself.

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Cheers, Nige

Many people have taken to Twitter to share their confusion about Lawson’s move. Some asked French president Emmanuel Macron to reject his application:

There’s also widespread concern and confusion about UK citizens’ post-Brexit rights to live and work in Europe:

Lawson has given full support for hard Brexit, which would mean fully leaving the EU customs union and single market. But he still wants to live in France:

Essentially, his latest move means he won’t have to deal fully with the consequences of Brexit:

Rats and ships…

Debra Archer from the Remain in France Together anti-Brexit group shared widely felt concerns with another French newspaper, the Local:

Does this mean he expects the UK to crash out with no deal and no citizens’ rights agreement or is it just that he feels insecure along with the rest of us and would rather have an EU document to prove his rights than rely on the UK government to secure them?

And many people are completely baffled by what they see as the sheer hypocrisy of Lawson’s move:

Some have gone further:

Brexit is in chaos, with no clear indication of how Theresa May’s government plans to move forward. But one certainty is that things will change for both UK citizens, and EU nationals living in the UK.

So for the 48.1% who voted to remain in the EU, Lawson’s move is a real kick in the teeth. Because when the guy who chaired the campaign to leave wants to live in Europe, it really does suggest Brexit is pretty f*cked.

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Featured image via Chatham House/Wikimedia

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