Brexit-backing Boris Johnson's father, Stanley, said he is “absolutely delighted” to have become a French citizen and said he was "very proud" to be an EU citizen again.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that the prime minister reportedly told his father, a former member of the European Parliament (MEP), it was “magnifique" that he had secured French nationality on Wednesday, after he applied in November 2021.

France’s justice ministry said the decision "only regards Mr Stanley Johnson and does not extend to his descendants”.

Mr Johnson, 81, voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum in opposition to his son who was a figurehead for Vote Leave and ultimately led Britain out of the bloc at the end of 2020.