Opposition spokesman on finance, Julian Robinson says he will renounce his United Kingdom (UK) citizenship, citing the current national debate around dual citizenship as a potential “distraction and diversion from the very real issues affecting the Jamaican people.”

Robinson revealed his intention in a statement on Sunday evening, hours after fellow dual citizenship holder, People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding announced that he was renouncing his British citizenship.

READ: Mark Golding to renounce his UK citizenship

In his statement, Robinson said that he was born in the UK while his father was pursuing a Masters degree in Law, adding that his family returned to Jamaica before he was a year old and he has lived in the island since then.

“I attended primary school at Hope Valley Experimental, high school at Campion College and did my first degree at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

“Apart from the years where I studied and worked abroad, I have been in Jamaica all my life. I have chosen Jamaica as the place I will live and make my contribution, as I have been doing,” he declared.

Robinson said that it has never been a “secret” throughout his political career that he holds UK citizenship.

“In 2011, when the Electoral Office of Jamaica modified the nomination forms for general election candidates and asked for their nationalities, I so declared that I hold dual Jamaican and UK citizenship. I have declared this on my nomination forms in 2011, 2016 and 2020 in an open and transparent manner. It has never been a secret nor have I been reticent about acknowledging where I was born, something which I have absolutely no control over,” Robinson said.

He added: “While I recognise that holding dual citizenship as a Commonwealth citizen is perfectly legal and consistent with our Constitution, the current debate risks becoming a distraction and diversion from the very real issues affecting the Jamaican people.”

He said the majority of Jamaicans are struggling to make ends meet, want a properly functioning transportation system, want to go to a hospital and receive good health care and want to see a brighter and better future for the children through quality education.

“They also want to live in a safe country without the fear of being killed. Let us now focus on the real issues,” he said.

There has been a long discourse over whether key figures in government and those aspiring for those positions should hold dual citizenship.

In announcing his decision to renounce his UK citizenship at a party meeting on Sunday, Golding
Golding noted that while he is not prohibited legally from maintaining his UK citizenship, he did not want it to impact future candidacy.