The House of Lords has voted to remove Clause 9 of the Nationality and Borders Bill which sought to give the British Authorities the ability to strip British nationals of their citizenship without even having to notify them first.
Now, Parliament must remove the offending disriminatory provisions from the Bill before it is debated any further. The Bill, as it was, would have been detrimental to ethnic minorities living in Britain who had achieved citizenship, or indeed who were born there. Clause 9 essentially read that the British Government could strip somene of their citizenship and were exempt from having to give notice if it is not “reasonably practicable” to do so, or in the interests of national security, diplomatic relations or otherwise in the public interest. There were widespread fears that such a broad and ambiguous clause could be used arbitrarily against those who find themselves least represented.
Advocating for the clause, Home Secretary Priti Patel had previously said that the law would be used in “exceptional circumstances” on people who pose the most risk to the UK. However, Frances Webber, the vice-chair of the Institute of Race Relations, told The Guardian: “This amendment sends the message that certain citizens, despite being born and brought up in the UK and having no other home, remain migrants in this country. Their citizenship, and therefore all their rights, are precarious and contingent.”
Legal action NGO Reprieve added in a statement: “This clause would give Priti Patel unprecedented power to remove your citizenship in secret, without even having to tell you, and effectively deny you an appeal. Under this regime, a person accused of speeding would be afforded more rights than someone at risk of being deprived of their British nationality. This once again shows how little regard this government has for the rule of law."
With the House of Lords having made their decision, the matter is now settled and the British Government must "think again" on how they are approaching this issue.
Further details can be read HERE.