Big Rise in Britons Seeking Other EU Passports

Tens of thousands more UK citizens applied for citizenship in other EU countries in the 12 months after the Brexit vote than in the previous year, according to data obtained by the BBC.

Ireland received by far the most applications for dual nationality.

But for all the countries that had data covering July 2016 to June 2017, applications have more than doubled.

In countries which had data only for calendar years, there was a sharp rise from 2015 to 2016 as well.

Among well-known UK citizens to apply for citizenship elsewhere in Europe is the Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth - it was confirmed last week that his application for Italian citizenship had been successful.