Westminster human rights committee welcomes amendments to nationality law

Westminster human rights committee welcomes amendments to nationality law

The UK government should take rapid steps to end unfair discrimination when it comes to British nationality law, according to a Westminster committee.

In their report examining the proposed amendments to the British Nationality Act 1981, the Joint Committee on Human Rights welcomed the government’s remedial order correcting an incompatibility in UK law with basic human rights.

However, it said that it is unacceptable, among other things, that: British nationality should depend on whether your parents were married; people shouldn’t have to pay fees again when they are having to re-apply for nationality because of previous discrimination; British mothers should be able to pass on British nationality to their children in the same way as fathers can.

The committee said it looked forward to receiving further information promised by the Home Office on how it intends to tackle wider discrimination issues in British nationality law (as highlighted in the report) and welcomes Home Office action to address similar discrimination when it comes to British Overseas Territories citizenship.

Read the report here

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