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MPs vote in favour of Home Secretary’s right to remove British citizenship (8 May 2014)

Date: 08/05/2014
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, MPs vote in favour of Home Secretary’s right to remove British citizenship

Home Secretary Theresa May has won the latest round of the government’s fight to be able to strip people of their British citizenship, after the House of Commons voted yesterday (07/05/14) to remove an Amendment to the Immigration Bill made by the House of Lords.

The Amendment to the Immigration Bill made by the Lords prevented the Home Secretary from being able to strip naturalised Britons of their citizenship.

MPs voted 305 to 239 in favour of removing the Amendment. In the future, naturalised British citizens could be made stateless by the British government, regardless of whether they have committed any crime or not.

The Lords had recommended that a committee be established to consider the proposal for the government to have the power to strip naturalised British citizens of their citizenship.

The proposals had been introduced to the Immigration Bill late last year when the government also introduced a crackdown on new migrants to the UK being able to claim out-of-work benefits as soon as they arrived in the UK.

David Cameron introduced a three-month waiting period before new migrants could claim welfare benefits in response to a public outcry over the lifting of border restrictions on Bulgaria and Romania from 31 December 2013.

Despite fears that there would be a huge influx of newcomers from those countries, the anticipated deluge of new workers and families from Bulgaria and Romania coming to live in the UK failed to materialise.

Removing the Lords’ Amendment to the Immigration Bill now means that the Home Secretary will be able to act to remove citizenship from a naturalised British citizen without consultation.

Some individuals may be left “stateless” – not belonging to any country.

Critics of the proposal have pointed out that the policy will result in a two-tier system of British citizenship in the UK, with those born in Britain having more legal rights than naturalised British citizens born overseas.

Citizenship in theory could also be removed at any time and without notice from a naturalised British citizen.

However, now that the Commons has voted to remove the Amendment, the Immigration Bill must return to the Lords for further consideration.

The head of communications for the organisation Reprieve – which fights for the rights of prisoners and against the death penalty – said the vote in favour of removing the Amendment was “a deeply disappointing result”.

Reprieve’s Donald Campbell said:

"This proposal would give the Home Secretary powers to make Britons stateless arbitrarily, without needing to go through any legal process."

"Millions of Britons will be exposed to this power, simply because they were not born as UK citizens, creating a two-tier system of citizenship in this country."

"The Lords must continue to oppose this dangerous measure – and it has to be hoped that MPs will think again."

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of immigration solicitors and can advise on immigration and asylum in the UK, including British citizenship, asylum appeals, marriage in the UK and right to work in the UK.

Duncan Lewis is also one of the UK’s leading firms of Legal Aid solicitors and can advise migrants to the UK on illegal immigration and detention pending removal from the UK.

For expert legal advice on immigration, asylum and British citizenship, contact Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.

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