Barriers to Britishness: Findings of an Independent Inquiry on Citizenship Policy
Event type: WebinarDate: 10/12/2020
Location: Online
The UK can be proud that in 2019 some 159,380 people chose to become British citizens. At a time when society can feel fragmented, the common bonds of citizenship are more important than ever. Yet citizenship is a neglected area of public policy.
Leaving the EU is a moment when the UK can choose to project a message to those who have decided to move here and stay – that they are welcome to become British. Yet UK citizenship policy remains unclear on whether it is trying to welcome people or deter them from applying.
This panel event discussed the findings and recommendations of Alberto Costa MP’s year-long inquiry into the UK’s citizenship policy, ‘Barriers to Britishness’ and answer questions like:
How can we remove the unnecessary barriers to becoming British? Could citizenship be less expensive? Is the ‘Life in the UK’ test up to date? How can we celebrate citizenship in British society?
Panellists include:
- Alberto Costa MP, Chair of our independent inquiry into citizenship policy
- Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue
- Alexandra Bulat, the3Million and new British Citizen
- Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future (Chair)
This report and event was kindly supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. You can now watch the recording of this event in full below.
