27 lost British citizenship since 2006

LAHORE: Since 2006, at least 27 people have lost their British citizenship on national security grounds, reveals the latest report of the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ).
Of these who have been stripped of their British nationalities, not fewer than 24 had to surrender their passports during the reign of the David Cameron-led Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition government.
Between 2002 and February 26, 2013, the nationalities of 42 Britons, including a few Pakistanis, were revoked under the government’s power to strip citizenship through an amendment to British Nationality Act 1981 (Section 40, Deprivation of Citizenship) introduced by the Nationality, Immigration and asylum Act 2002 (Section 4).
This amendment was established in the wake of the 9/11 episode.After the London bombings, a new amendment introduced by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 was intended to expand the Home Secretary’s power in such a way as to make it more accessible in the fight against terrorism.
The BIJ reports, “The David Cameron-led coalition government has rapidly increased its use of little-known powers to strip dual nationals of their British citizenship if the home secretary deems it conducive to the public good.”
Legally speaking, British passport is a privilege and not a right. The British Home Secretary Theresa May can use powers in the British Nationality Act to remove the citizenship of an individual without any prior approval from the courts.