PRESS RELEASE
Nationality and Borders Bill: Peers urged to vote against powers to arbitrarily strip British citizenship
As members of the House of Lords convene this week, the Muslim Council of Britain renews its calls for peers to speak out and vote against the Nationality and Borders Bill.
In particular, the MCB expresses grave concern in relation to Clause 9 of the Bill which gives the Home Secretary unprecedented power to remove a British person’s citizenship without issuing any notice, effectively eliminating the potential for any challenges in court from the outset.
The MCB is also opposed to the Bill’s failure to safeguard the rights of those who are seeking asylum in the UK, making the asylum process more laborious and potentially contravening the UK’s legal obligations under Articles 3 and 31 of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
MCB Secretary-General Zara Mohammed said:
“The National and Borders Bill is an affront to human rights. This Bill appears to be yet another attempt to further marginalise minority groups, whilst eroding our civil liberties.
“Communities across the UK are deeply concerned by this Bill, particularly in the wake of the tragic deaths of refugees in the channel and the devastation we have seen during the Windrush scandal. Nationality and citizenship are not a privilege but a human right.
“We urge Peers to speak out and vote against this Bill.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For any media enquiries, please contact: [email protected]
- Read previous PR ‘Faith and civil society groups publish joint statement warning against the un-British and sinister Nationality and Borders Bill‘
- The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella body with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and professional networks.
Featured image credit: UK Parliament - House of Lords