Nick Xenophon has confirmed he holds dual British citizenship and may not be eligible to sit in Parliament, becoming the seventh MP whose position has fallen under a cloud.
Though born in Adelaide, Senator Xenophon's father Theo was born in Cyprus, which remained a British colony until 1960. He migrated to Australia in 1950, where Senator Xenophon was born. Travel documents show Theo came to Australia on a British passport. As a result the UK considers him a "British overseas citizen", a class of citizenship that confers few rights on the holder.
Senator Xenophon said the citizenship category was "useless" except to his "political opponents" who he said had worked hard to use it to remove him of Parliament.
"There are people on both sides who hate me," he said when asked who he was referring to.
He said he would remain in Parliament and continue to vote until the High Court had ruled over his eligibility under section 44 of the constitution, which holds that dual citizens may not sit in Parliament.
"No wonder so many Australians hate politicians because they spend so much time trying to score points like this," he said.
He is the seventh member to fall foul under section 44.
Senator Xenophon's status under section 44 appears to be even less clear than that of some of his colleagues. The section states that any person who is "under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or citizen of a foreign power."
But Senator Xenophon's "British overseas citizens" status appears to grant few privileges. He is not entitled to hold either a United Kingdom nor European Union passport.
His voice breaking with emotion as he stood outside The British Hotel, a pub in North Adelaide, Senator Xenophon told reporters that he knew in his "heart of hearts" that his loyalty was entirely to Australia.
Confusion over the eligibility of members of Parliament snowballed from being an embarrassment for individual members to being a crisis for the government with revelations that the Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, held New Zealand citizenship and his deputy, Fiona Nash, British.
Fairfax Media earlier revealed that the Nick Xenophon Team member Rebekha Sharkie would withdraw her support from the government on questions of confidence and supply unless Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull removed the two senior Nationals from his cabinet until the High Court had adjudicated on their eligibility.
Should the High Court force the resignation of Coalition members the government would lose its one seat majority. It had planned to go on as a minority government with support from the crossbench. Ms Sharkie's decision - coming after Bob Katter removed his support - could leave the government entirely dependent on the independent MP Cathy McGowan for its survival.
More to come
The story first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald
