From Rights to Privileges: The Legal Boundaries of British Citizenship

In the face of rising populist and xenophobic ideologies, British citizenship is increasingly viewed as a 'privilege' rather than a fundamental right. This shift, exacerbated by Brexit and anti-immigrant sentiment, challenges the very notion of human rights in contemporary society. This presentation examines how new immigration laws have institutionalised the conditionality of British citizenship, allowing for its revocation in certain scenarios. While the selective allocation of rights has long been codified in nationality laws, legal professionals are confronting new challenges in the wake of rising populism and Brexit. This presentation discusses initial findings from ongoing research on the role of legal professionals and courts in defining civic inclusion. British courts perform an increasingly important role in defining access to and protection of social rights. In some cases, this has led to the protection of European citizens' rights in Britain. In other proceedings, a stricter interpretation of the law has been applied for EU citizens applying for British citizenship and those wishing to appeal against a deprivation order. This presentation asks what rights are encoded in the law, what role courts play in the removal or bestowal of citizenship rights, and how can legal sociology address issues of inequality and advocate for justice? This presentation explores some of the conference's key themes relating to emerging inequalities, the changing nature and erosion of citizenship rights whilst examining sociology's role in addressing these challenges.