On Saturday, Xenophon called a news conference in Adelaide to say he had received advice from the British Home Office overnight that they considered him a British overseas citizen. When Cyprus gained independence, most Cypriots lost their British citizenship except those who moved to one of nine countries, including Australia. This made Xenophon’s father a British overseas citizen, a status that automatically extended to Xenophon, who was born in Australia. Xenophon told Fairfax Media on Friday that he would not resign if it was confirmed he had British citizenship by descent. “It has to go to the high court,” he said.

Source: The Guardian August 19, 2017 02:47 UTC