Will the revocation of British Citizenship criterion be further reduced at the Third Reading of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill in the Lords this Tuesday ?
The controversial Clause 53 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill has been renumbered to Clause 56
This seeks to weaken the protection, such as it is, against the arbitrary power of the Home Secretary to
replace an existing criterion for deprivation of British nationality that the person concerned had done something which was "seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom or a British overseas territory" with the criterion that it is conducive to the public good to deprive a person of his or her British nationality
N.B. you do not have to have been convicted of any crime whatsoever, for your British Citizenship to be revoked by Order of a politician, the Home Secretary, and not by a British Judge and Jury. The Home Office have not provided any justification as to why this change is so vital now, or even why the exiting status quo is at all justified.
Thie Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Lords are set for this coming Tuesday 14th March 2006..
Liberty Human Rights have a briefing paper (.pdf).which supports our anlaysis of this Clause 56.
On current form, the House of Lords will probably chicken out and not even bother to press the Government to a vote on thie Opposition Amendment which seeks to retain the status quo:
Clause 56THE BARONESS TURNER OF CAMDEN
Page 31, line 15, leave out subsection (1)
[...]
This amends the previously numbered Clause 53:
56 Deprivation of citizenship(1) For section 40(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61) (deprivation of citizenship: prejudicing UK interests) substitute—
“(2) The Secretary of State may by order deprive a person of a citizenship status if the Secretary of State is satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good.”
[...]
Comments
Oh good! If I ask him too many questions like Rachel's father did (Rachel from north London http://rachelnorthlondon.blogspot.com/)
does that mean that he will deprive me of my British citizenship, and he will have to export me to a much more hospitable country than the land of my fathers and previous generations since before the Norman conquest?
Let's get to work! Clarke, I want a word with you ... ...
Posted by: J | March 11, 2006 8:31 PM
I wish somebody would revoke my British citizenship, that way they could not force me to have an ID card.
I have wanted to get out ot this hell hole of a country for qutie some time now, all I need is an excuse.
Posted by: Jake Long | March 12, 2006 1:04 AM
Oi! Jug Ears ..., B*****d son of shrek... I've had a word with a mate of mine, Orsama, and he said it would be a good idea if I could get an ID card for him. He says that he would not be able to carry out his occupation without one. He also wants some for some of his mates so that they can be identified easier, but asks if you can make them fire proof for special occasions.
Posted by: Jake Long | March 12, 2006 1:15 AM