A new report says the UK’s citizenship laws could put millions of people, especially British Muslims, at risk of losing their nationality. The Runnymede Trust and Reprieve say around 9 million people, almost 13% of the UK population, may be vulnerable under current rules that allow the Home Secretary to strip citizenship.
The issue has sparked fresh debate about fairness, transparency and human rights. Critics call the process “secretive” and say it disproportionately affects ethnic minorities.
How Can UK Citizenship Be Stripped?
Under British law, the Home Secretary has the power to remove someone’s citizenship if it is considered “conducive to the public good.” This power comes from a law in the British Nationality Act of 1981. It has been used in serious cases involving terrorism or organised crime.
Normally, authorities must ensure that stripping citizenship does not make a person stateless, which means the person must be eligible for citizenship of another country. The Home Office can also remove citizenship if it was obtained by fraud.
UK Citizenship: Report Warns Millions Could Lose Citizenship
The report by the Runnymede Trust and Reprieve says the process is highly opaque and poorly understood. It says many people might lose their citizenship without knowing it or without a clear path to appeal.
Both organisations caution that the powers could be used more broadly than intended. They argue that this regime now resembles a tool that threatens basic citizenship rights rather than a narrowly tailored response to crime or terrorism.
Who Could Be Most Affected?
Campaigners warn that people from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East are most at risk. This group includes many British Muslims with family links to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, among others. Many have dual citizenship or could be eligible for another nationality.
That legal detail, being eligible for another nationality, is what allows the government to pursue deprivation of citizenship. Critics argue this creates a two-tier system where white Britons, who are less likely to have dual nationality, are less vulnerable.
Allegations of a ‘Secretive’ System
The report and other critics describe the system as secretive because individuals may not be informed when their citizenship is taken away. In some cases, citizenship can be removed while a person is overseas, limiting their ability to appeal. Campaigners say this echoes the Windrush scandal, where British citizens of Caribbean heritage were wrongly detained and deported due to similar legal gaps.
Government Defends the Powers
UK authorities say the citizenship deprivation power is necessary for national security and public safety. A recent law, the Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Act 2025, closed a loophole that allowed citizenship to be reinstated too quickly after an appeal.
The government says this change helps prevent individuals considered a risk from returning to the UK prematurely. Officials say the power is used only in serious cases and that rights of appeal remain in place.
Rights Groups Call for Reform
Human rights organisations and community groups are calling for clearer rules and more safeguards. They argue that stripping citizenship should happen only after a fair trial, not by executive decision alone.
Reprieve says the UK has become one of the few G20 countries that strips citizenship on such broad grounds and that the law disproportionately impacts minorities.
What Happens Next?
The debate over citizenship deprivation is now part of larger discussions about immigration, national security and equality in the UK. Lawmakers must balance public safety with protecting the legal rights of all citizens. Rights groups say reforms should include greater transparency and judicial oversight.
The government has signalled it will continue to use existing powers but may face pressure to limit or clarify them to address concerns about fairness and discrimination.