OXFORD author, illustrator and campaigner Ted Dewan is officially “British” 23 years after he first emigrated.

Boston-born Mr Dewan, from Beech Croft Road, North Oxford, decided to apply for citizenship after getting involved in local politics.

A desire to vote in local and general elections prompted him to finally take the plunge.

The father-of-one is now proud to be a British citizen, although he still retains his US citizenship.

Mr Dewan, 50, moved to London from Boston after meeting a Scottish woman on a coach in New York.

He said: “She was called Alison and we got together after I offered her a Penguin biscuit.

“I followed her back to London and she was my girlfriend for about three years.

“I got married in 1994 so I have had indefinite leave to remain here for many years but that’s not quite the same as being a British citizen.

“When I campaigned to reduce traffic speed in Beech Croft Road I got a flavour of how local politics works and got increasingly frustrated that I wasn’t allowed to vote.

“I’ve got nothing but admiration for local councillors who have a boundless ability to take truckloads of grief and still be passionate.

“I did vote in a local election once because I was sent a polling card but I think that was a mistake, and now I’m looking forward to voting in my first general election.

“I would be completely incompetent as a local councillor so I wouldn’t consider it but watching them has made me want to become a more active citizen myself.

“I think people who move to this country always have a sense that one day they might go back but as the years go by you realise that is not going to happen.

“My mum, brother and cousins still live in the States and I go over there every now and then.”

After taking a citizenship exam at East Oxford Community Centre in Cowley Road, Mr Dewan was invited to a citizenship ceremony at County Hall in Oxford.

The Bing Bunny author said: “You had to do some quite careful preparation for the exam because some of the questions were quite strange.

“I remember being asked in which UK country water rates are combined with council tax – the answer is Northern Ireland.”

Citizenship ceremonies began in the UK in 2004 and are run by Oxfordshire County Council’s register office.