Report warns millions of Asians and Black Britons could lose citizenship under UK law
LONDON, UK — A new report from the Runnymede Trust and human rights group Reprieve has sounded the alarm that up to nine million people in the United Kingdom could be at risk of losing their British citizenship under current laws — disproportionately affecting British Asians, Black Britons and Muslim communities.
The analysis, titled Stripped: The Citizenship Divide, warns that UK nationality law grants the Home Secretary broad powers to revoke citizenship in the name of the “public good”, leaving millions of residents vulnerable — particularly those with dual nationality or foreign-born parents.
According to the report, people of colour are up to 12 times more likely to face deprivation of citizenship than white Britons, with most of those affected coming from South Asian, Middle Eastern or North African backgrounds.
Campaigners described the system as a “fundamentally racist, two-tier citizenship regime,” arguing that it creates insecurity for long-established British citizens who have strong familial or ancestral ties overseas.
The report points to demographic analysis suggesting that around 13% of the UK’s population could be flagged as potentially subject to removal of citizenship — a figure significantly higher than earlier estimates — and that legal safeguards are insufficient to protect affected individuals.
Government critics highlight that the UK is rare among developed nations for the scale and ease with which it can revoke citizenship, noting that more than 200 citizens have been stripped of nationality since 2010 under these powers — including high-profile cases involving terrorism allegations.
A Home Office spokesperson has defended the legal framework, arguing that deprivation powers are used sparingly and strictly in the interests of national security, and that claims about the number of people at risk are exaggerated.
The report’s authors and civil liberties advocates are calling for urgent reform, including an immediate moratorium on the use of citizenship deprivation powers and stronger legislative protections to prevent discriminatory outcomes