Should UK citizens born abroad be allowed to stand as MPs?
UK citizens born abroad can stand as MPs provided they meet the standard eligibility criteria of being at least 18 and a British citizen, Irish citizen or qualifying Commonwealth citizen with indefinite leave to remain or right of abode. The Act of Settlement 1701 historically barred those born abroad except for children of English parents, but this was modified by the British Nationality Act 1981 to allow British citizens regardless of birthplace. This matters because many British citizens are born overseas due to military service, diplomacy or family circumstances, and several current and past MPs were born abroad.
24 Opinions
Bit of a Trojan Horse of a question! Prima facie it asks if a Briton born abroad can be an MP. It’s down to definition of a Briton. So should a Somalian or Nigerian with a UK Passport be an MP. A big NO comes down to loyalty & culture. Our MPs should first only be representatives in the County they were born in & have both parents & both grandparents born in the UK where one parent or grandparent must be indigenous Welsh Scots Irish or English. No exceptions.
I don’t think this would solve any problems. There are citizens born abroad who are patriotic and good Brits. There are also people born here who hate this country and seem to prefer Gaza, Pakistan, Iran or some other Islamic theocracy more than Britain
Democracy should judge candidates on their convictions, competence and commitment to their constituents, not their birthplace. British or Irish citizenship is the appropriate dividing line: all those who have full citizenship should have the same right to stand for Parliament. Requiring citizenship safeguards the integrity of public office without discriminating against people born elsewhere but who have chosen to make the UK their home.
I voted No, but with caveats. Anyone born abroad with a British parent should be allowed to stand as an MP. This protects military personnel. The majority of a person’s grandparents should be British too. I see too many people who were born in the UK claiming that they are another nationality because they have foreign ancestry. They don’t feel allegiance to, or love of, the UK despite being born here.
If someone born abroad, has a residence address in the constituency which is necessary to become an MP, they could effectively live in their country of birth and act against this country.
I voted No, but this is not a 'blanket' no. It seems the standards of getting British citizenship is so low, hence my vote. However, if someone truly integrates with our society/culture and want the best for 'us', then I am happy with them to stand.
No. A British passport establishes legal citizenship; it does not establish ancestral heritage. English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish identities have deep historical roots that cannot simply be reduced to paperwork. I believe those roots matter when determining who represents Britain in Parliament. Citizenship and ethnicity are not interchangeable, and I reject the notion that acquiring a passport automatically confers ancestral identity.
If they live in the UK and are a British Citizen then yes they should not be barred from standing as an MP. However, I increasingly feel that in order to become a British Citizen you should be required to relinquish citizenship of other countries. With increasingly unfettered immigration we need to proactively encourage integration and you can’t do that while people’s loyalties straddle two countries.
They don't have the UK's best interests in mind. It should be restricted to at least 3rd gen immigrants.
People should be allowed to choose who represents them. Someone born overseas may be a weaker candidate for portions of the electorate, and that's fine - a blanket ban would be disproportionate to the point where a recent PM (Johnson) would have been barred from standing as an mp