Vote Leave chief Lawson applies for French residency

NIGEL LAWSON, the Eurosceptic former chancellor, has denied accusations of Brexit hypocrisy after it emerged he was applying for French residency.

The Tory peer who chaired the Vote Leave campaign said he had started the “tiresome” paperwork required to obtain a carte de séjour. Remain campaigners said Lord Lawson’s application made him “a hypocrite”.

But the peer said it was a storm in a teacup as it was “well known” he lived in France. He said he applied for residency following a request to do so from the French authorities.

A carte de séjour shows a person is legally resident in France and it is hoped possession of such documentation will help avoid any complications after Brexit. Paul Butters, a Remain spokesman, said Lord Lawson’s residency application “takes the biscuit”.