Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances the Government is able to remove the citizenship of a UK national who does not have access to a secondary citizenship.

Section 40 of the British Nationality Act (BNA) 1981 provides for the deprivation of British citizenship.

A decision to deprive British citizenship on the ground it is conducive to the public good can only be made if the person would not be left stateless. Where a deprivation decision is made on the ground it is conducive to the public good because the person has conducted themselves in a manner which is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the UK, the Secretary of State must have reasonable grounds for believing the person can become a national of another country.

There is no requirement for a person to have access to another citizenship where a decision to deprive British citizenship is made on the grounds it was obtained by means of fraud, false representation or concealment of a material fact.

UK deprivation legislation is compliant with the 1961 UN Convention on Statelessness.