Thanks to Brexit, the 760 British local councillors in France will not be eligible to run for re-election in the March 2020 municipal elections. It’s a painful change for these expatriates, who are deeply invested in the life of their adopted homes.

“The mayor of Montrollet will lose his Englishman!” cries Norman Cox, who, despite celebrating his 27th year in France, hasn’t lost his British sense of humour. Still, the 70-year-old transplant to the village of Montrollet, population 312, in western France’s Charente region, hasn’t had the heart to laugh lately.