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165% increase in Brits becoming citizens of other EU countries after Brexit vote

Germany topped the list of countries to give passports to UK nationals (Getty)
Germany topped the list of countries to give passports to UK nationals (Getty)

The number of UK nationals who successfully applied to become citizens of other EU countries more than doubled in the year of the Brexit vote, official figures have revealed.

The EU’s statistics authority said 6,555 UK nationals had taken the step in 2016 – an increase of 165% on the previous year when the figure was 2,478.

Germany naturalised the highest number of UK nationals of any EU country at 2,702 – which was four times the total in 2015.

And the country’s statistics office has said “the link to Brexit seems clear”.

The Netherlands, Sweden, France, Belgium and Cyprus also granted hundreds of passports to British residents.

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Green MEP Molly Scott Cato said the figures represented a “vote of no confidence” in Brexit and warned of a “brain drain” of young people from Britain.

She told Yahoo UK: “The huge rise in the number of British citizens applying for citizenship in another member state is a vote of no confidence in the government’s Brexit strategy and in the prospects for Brexit Britain.

Green MEP Molly Scott Cato (European Parliament)
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato (European Parliament)

“It also indicates the lack of confidence British citizens have in the government’s commitment to their free movement rights.

“If this attempt to buy an insurance policy turns into a decision to vote with their feet and leave the UK it could result in a brain drain that may threaten Britain’s economic prospects, as it is likely to be the young and skilled who decide to move.”

The spike comes amid uncertainty over the rights of UK citizens living and working across the EU after Brexit.

UK citizens will maintain their rights within their current host state, but whether or not they are able to maintain their right to freedom of movement is part of the ongoing negotiations.

The figures for 2017 are likely to show another significant increase in the number of Brits acquiring EU passports.

Today’s figures show that Ireland granted just 98 passports to UK nationals in 2016.

But Ireland’s ambassador to the UK, Daniel Mulhall, said the country had received half a million in the applications in the first half of 2017.

“We have to attribute that to the impact of last year’s referendum,” Mr Mulhall said.