I would like to be very clear that anyone who has left the UK to support terrorist organisations – organisations that seek to cause harm to our citizens and sow hate in our country – is not welcome home.
All of those who returned have been investigated and the majority have been assessed to pose no or a low security risk. It should be clear that anyone returning from the conflict should expect to be questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted. There are a range of measures available to stop people who pose a serious threat from returning to the UK.
As you will be aware, in order to protect this country, the Home Secretary has the power to deprive someone of their British citizenship where it would not render them stateless. I would like to assure you that any decision to deprive an individual of their citizenship is based on all available evidence, including secret intelligence. This power has been in place for more than a hundred years and has been used by successive Home Secretaries.
This is a very difficult case and I know that Ministers are very disappointed with the decision of the Court. I welcome that the Home Office has won permission to appeal the decision at the Supreme Court. I know constituents across the Meon Valley will have different views on this but I believe the first priority must be keeping the public safe and I support the Government in their commitment to this.
