Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder has reacted to the increased price one would have to pay for relinquishing British citizenship, pointing out in her Twitter post that the UK Home Office is making money on Brexit:
After the Windrush scandal you'd have thought the Home Office would want to clean up its act, instead it's cashing in on Brexit @joswabe @BritishInEurope https://t.co/GS3zAfCSJF
— Catherine Bearder (@catherinemep) May 29, 2018
Fees for renunciation of British citizenship have been increased by the Home Office in April 2018, with the cost per a family of three reaching over £1,000.
"Application to renounce British citizenship, British Overseas citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British subject, British protected person status or British National (Overseas)" now costs £372, according to the government.
The surge in fee costs received criticism online, with users pointing out it is the "only way the UK can make money on Brexit."
Indeed, I feel completely fleeced by this @ukhomeoffice price hike. Had no choice but to shell out £372 (€425). As article notes, renunciation is mandatory to get NL (& retain EU) citizenship. The latter cost me ‘only' €855… #Brexit = #ExBrit https://t.co/NjqRP88YxO
— Dr Jo Swabe (@joswabe) May 29, 2018
It's the only way they can make money on brexit
— E.V. Grin (@antday) May 29, 2018
Utterly shameless, but then why am I not surprised?
— Ian Hurdley (@HurdleyIan) May 29, 2018
A form of scalping? An effort to stop people leaving? “Government hikes fees to renounce British citizenship after Brexit foreign nationality surge — The Independent https://t.co/FCWD6zh2SL
— A C Grayling #FBPE #OFOC #PeoplesVote (@acgrayling) May 29, 2018
In 2016, the number of UK nationals acquiring citizenship of another EU member state more than doubled in 2016, according to the EU statistics agency Eurostat, with most new citizenships granted by Italy, Spain, the UK, France and Germany.
