Dutch nationals living in Britain who take out British nationality to avoid Brexit-related problems will lose their Dutch passports, prime minister Mark Rutte has confirmed.

Some 100,000 Dutch nationals live in Britain and many have been considering becoming British to avoid residency problems once Britain leaves the EU.

Responding to a petition calling for changes to the Dutch nationality laws signed by over 22,000 people, Rutte said: ‘Countering dual nationality remains on of this cabinet’s policies. This is because having a nationality is always associated with an actual link to a certain country.

‘If at some point there is no question of a connection to the Netherlands or if the link to another country has become stronger than that with the Netherlands, Dutch nationality will end.’

The petition was organised by campaigner Eelco Keij, who spent several years living in New York.

Globalisation

‘Dutch nationals abroad live in an international world which is part of the current globalisation. This clinging on to one nationality creates only losers,’ Keij said in a reaction to Rutte’s email.

Keij said he will now focus on getting the next cabinet to change its position on dual nationality. Around one million Dutch nationals live abroad.

Last month the cabinet launched a campaign to alert Dutch nationals abroad to the risk of losing their Dutch passports.

Foreign nationals applying to become Dutch must also give up their original nationality, if legally possible.