Nearly 9 Million People, Including Those of Bangladeshi Origin, at Risk of Losing UK Citizenship

Nearly 9 million people in the United Kingdom, including those of Bangladeshi origin, could face the risk of losing their citizenship, according to warnings from human rights organisations.

The groups say the British government’s “extreme and secretive” powers to revoke citizenship put people of South Asian, Middle Eastern and African descent at the highest risk. Among them are individuals of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian origin, as well as members of the Muslim community.

A joint report by the Runnymede Trust and Reprieve said that the UK home secretary’s legal authority could affect around 9 million people—about 13 percent of the country’s total population.

The report noted that under current laws, the government can revoke British citizenship if it believes an individual is eligible for citizenship in another country, even if that person has never lived there.

Rights activists argue that the policy has become a systematic threat to Muslim communities and risks creating racial discrimination in citizenship rights.

Maya Foa of Reprieve warned that the potential for abuse of these powers would increase further if an authoritarian government were to come to power in the future.

Runnymede Trust director Shabna Begum said citizenship is not a privilege but a fundamental right, adding that successive governments have created a dangerous precedent by maintaining a two-tier system.

The report also found that three out of five people from non-white communities are at risk of losing their citizenship, while the proportion is significantly lower among white citizens.