Begum Case Exposes Two-Tier British Citizenship

Shamima Begum’s story keeps returning to the front pages because it raises uncomfortable questions about justice, politics and who counts as fully British. Public opinion has barely shifted since 2019: then–home secretary Sajid Javid removed her citizenship and 76% of the public backed that decision. A 2025 poll found roughly two-thirds still opposed to her return. Begum left London as a 15‑year‑old with two friends and travelled to territory held by Islamic State. In 2019 ministers argued she was a security threat and revoked her nationality; she is now 26. The European Court of Human Rights recently asked whether the UK had examined if she might have been trafficked before effectively leaving her stateless in a Syrian camp — a point the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has signalled she will contest. Ministers cannot simply shrug this off for two clear reasons. First, Begum is not an isolated case. A commission of senior lawyers concluded the government’s refusal to bring back most of the remaining Britons in camps is becoming unsustainable. Estimates point to between 55 and 72 people with UK links still there, including about 30–40 children, often living in dire and dangerous conditions. Other countries have begun acting, putting pressure on the UK to explain its approach. Second, the case exposes a legal and moral inconsistency. The government was able to remove Begum’s British citizenship only because it said she was entitled to Bangladeshi nationality through her parents — a claim Bangladesh has rejected. UK law forbids making someone stateless, so the power to revoke nationality is effectively a privilege that can fall differently on people with migrant backgrounds. That creates a two-tier system: citizens with overseas ties can be stripped of rights in ways that others cannot. The Home Office keeps a high threshold for revocation — fraud or behaviour tied to serious organised crime, terrorism or war crimes — but the limits are politically charged. Ministers declined to remove the citizenship of the British‑Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el‑Fattah because his mother was born in the UK, even as some Conservatives and Reform urged his deportation and loss of nationality. Politically, the dilemma is acute. The government faces criticism for courting voters tempted by hardline migration messages while risking alienation elsewhere. There is a straightforward case ministers could make: citizenship should be a secure, non‑revocable status for everyone. But Begum’s particular story — a young woman who joined IS — is a fraught test case that is unlikely to win popular sympathy, even if it highlights deeper questions about fairness and the long‑term health of British citizenship. --- Managing your business finances? TaxAce provides smart online accountancy services for UK businesses with flexible monthly plans. Image and reporting: https://www.theguardian.com | Read original article