A regional political journalist has become an Irish citizen to help his family avoid “the most negative aspects of Brexit”.

Liverpool Echo political editor Liam Thorp has revealed his decision to take citizenship of the Republic of Ireland in order to allow his first child to be a European Union citizen.

Liam, pictured, qualifies for Irish citizenship through his maternal grandparents, but for his child to be eligible, his application needed to be processed and accepted before his wife gives birth.

In a first-person piece explaining his decision, he revealed the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs had fast-tracked his application due to his wife’s pregnancy.

Liam wrote: “I’m delighted to say that I recently had an application for Irish citizenship approved by the Irish Government, something I have been meaning to do for a while but had not got round to. The desire to do this has become more pressing in recent months as my wife and I prepare for the arrival of our first child.

“In order for our child to have the option of applying for Irish citizenship and crucially, a European Union passport, we had to get my application sorted and approved before my wife gives birth.

“This meant a rather frantic effort to collate all the historical family documents we needed (thankfully my mum had most of them) and to get our application sent off quickly.

“I’m extremely grateful to the Department of Foreign Affairs for recognising our urgent application and coming back quickly to say my citizenship had been approved. It was a gratifying message to receive and immediately made me feel a renewed closeness to my grandparents who both passed away some years ago.

“But the central reason I wanted to get this sorted now is so that my child will be able to have an EU passport and subsequently be granted the freedoms that I had growing up to travel around Europe without limitations or visas and to live, study and work in any EU country.

“I have made no secret about the dismay I feel about this country’s disastrous decision to leave the European Union and while we are all living through the clear economic implications that Brexit has caused, it is the impact on the freedoms of young people that perhaps makes me the most sad.”