Another 28 people were given British citizenship at a ceremony at Manor Park Hall, Old Malden, by deputy mayor Councillor Shiraz Mirza on Saturday.
The ceremony was supposed to have included Councillor Mirza’s 90-year-old mother Mumtaz, originally from Pakistan, but breathing problems caused by a blood infection kept her away.
Coun Mirza, who was granted British citizenship by letter in the 1970s, said: “I want to make sure before my year ends as deputy mayor on April 19 we are going to do it. I’m very nervous but I want to do this for my mum.”
He said he may ask for permission to hold the ceremony in her hospital in Ilford.
He said: “I feel goose pimples stand up when I perform the ceremony. I feel so proud that they are receiving British citizenship in a way I couldn’t.
“This is the best country in the world to live in and work.”
Each year Kingston welcomes about a thousand new British citizens after one of its 40 minute ceremonies, costing from £550, which enable people to have a British passport.
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