A new report from two organisations, Runnymede Trust and Reprieve, has warned that under existing UK laws, around 9 million people – roughly 13 percent of the country’s population – could be at risk of losing their British citizenship. The report says these laws disproportionately affect Muslims and people with roots in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Muslim home secretary, Muslim community under pressure
According to the report, UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood currently has the power to strip a person of their British citizenship if she believes they could obtain citizenship of another country, even if that person has no real personal connection with that country. This power is exercised in the name of national security or public interest. The report describes these powers as “extreme and secretive” and says they have become a major source of fear for the Muslim community.
Why India and Pakistan will feel the impact most
The countries most likely to be affected include India (with an estimated 9.84 lakh people at risk), Pakistan (6.79 lakh) and Bangladesh. In addition, British citizens with links to Somalia, Nigeria, North Africa and the Middle East are also considered vulnerable under these provisions. The report estimates that three out of every five people of colour could be affected, compared with just one in twenty white British citizens – meaning people of colour face 12 times higher risk.
If Muslims are stripped of their British citizenship, many of them are expected to seek refuge in countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Windrush scandal cited as warning sign
The report draws parallels with the Windrush scandal, in which British citizens of Caribbean origin were wrongly stripped of their rights and deported. The organisations argue that the current laws effectively create a two-tier citizenship system: one permanent and secure for white Britons, and another conditional and fragile for Muslims and other minority communities.
Recent legal changes
Key legal changes flagged by the report include:
- In 2022, a new law allowed the government to remove a person’s citizenship without even notifying them.
- In 2025, another law came into force stating that even if a court later finds that stripping citizenship was wrong, the person will not automatically get it back until all appeals are fully completed – a process that can take years.
Call to scrap Section 40(2)
Since 2010, citizenship has been revoked for more than 200 people on “public interest” grounds, the majority of them Muslims. One high-profile case is that of Shamima Begum, whose British citizenship was revoked, while Bangladesh refused to recognise her as a citizen.
The organisations behind the report have called for an immediate halt to the use of these powers and demanded that Section 40(2) of the British Nationality Act be completely repealed. They warn that a rise in nationalist politics could lead to serious abuse of these provisions. The UK Home Office has so far declined to comment on the report. Experts say these laws are deepening a sense of insecurity and vulnerability within the Muslim community in Britain.