Vote Leave chairman Nigel Lawson applies for residency in France

Former Conservative chancellor sparks anger
by submitting request for ‘carte de séjour’

One-Minute Read

Nigel Lawson, who served as chancellor under Margaret Thatcher
and now lives in southern France, has submitted a request for a
“carte de séjour”, which guarantees the rights of UK citizens by
showing they are legally resident in the country.

Speaking to English-language French newspaper, ConnexionFrance, Lawson said he was “not
concerned” about the impact of post-Brexit EU immigration controls
on British expats, claiming it repressented a “tiresome rather than
serious” obstacle.

The Independent says “expats have been urged to
acquire the papers to avoid complications after Brexit”, but there
have already been reports of some Britons in France facing problems
or concerns around the paperwork and criteria required for
obtaining a residency card.

The former Conservative MP “has been ridiculed by opponents of
Brexit”, says The Guardian, for his eagerness to free the UK
from the perceived shackles of Brussels while continuing to live in
a mansion in Gascony”.

In an interview with the paper just before the 2016 referendum,
Lawson confessed his love for Europe, claiming “that’s why I live
in France”.

However, the latest development appears to have been a step too
far for some.

Paul Butters, chairman for the pro-EU campaign group Best For
Britain, branded the former chancellor a “hypocrite”, saying the
idea that the chairman of Vote Leave has applied for residency in
France “takes the biscuit”.

“It seemed to Lawson that no cost was not worth paying to
leave,” he said, “but with this news, it seems the cost will be
paid by others while the former chancellor suns himself in his
luxury home in France.”

Meanwhile, anti-Brexit expat group Remain in France Together suggested Lawson should have
his application rejected because of his role in the Brexit
campaign.

“I hope his application gets put to the bottom of the pile or
falls down the back of the stove,” it said. “Perhaps we should all
write to the Préfecture in Auch, pointing out that as the Vote
Leave chairman, the man is responsible for destroying the lives of
thousands of British migrants in France.”