British relatives of Nazi victims seeking German passport as Brexit looms

Applications from descendants of refugees who fled Nazi Germany on the rise after 2016 referendum

Thousands of Germans who made Britain their home after the Second World War are applying for repatriation as the Brexit deadline looms, according to official data.

A growing number of Jewish families and descendants of refugees persecuted by the Nazis are exercising their right to German nationality under the country’s Constitution's Article 116, so they can remain EU citizens.

Under the article, former German citizens who were deprived of citizenship on “political, racial, or religious grounds” are entitled to have citizenship reinstated.

Descendants of members of the Roma community, homosexuals and political opponents who were persecuted and sought safe haven abroad, are also able to apply.

In 2016 Germany received 684 passport requests, with the majority submitted after the Brexit referendum. The number had ballooned from just 43 the previous year.

Last year the number jumped again to 1,667 requests and another 1,147 applied in the first eight months of 2018 alone, according to statistics released by the German interior ministry.

The Free Democratic Party's interior affairs spokesman Konstantin Kuhle said the development was expected given the uncertainty of a post-Brexit era.

“This is not surprising given the British government's chaotic Brexit negotiation line,” he said, adding that the EU should not forget “that many people in the UK feel close to the EU”.

The soaring figures were revealed as more than 100,000 people prepared to take to the streets of London on Saturday to demand a people's vote on Brexit.

It is expected to be the largest anti-Brexit demonstration to date, with MPs from every major party uniting to appeal to Theresa May to rethink her strategy.

Crowds, led by 1,000 young activists, will be addressed by household names including chef Delia Smith and London mayor Sadiq Khan.