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Lord Goldsmith recommends new emphasis on the Common Bond of Citizenship
In his report Citizenship: Our Common Bond, published today, former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith sets out reforms that will make it clearer what it means to be a citizen and practical measures that may help to enhance a sense of shared belonging.
Lord Goldsmith said:
"It is easy to imagine that British citizenship should denote a strong connection with membership of the community in the UK; that British citizenship denotes a strong commitment to, and connection with, this country. However, that is not historically the case.
"In effect, the history of legislation on citizenship and nationality has led to a complex scheme lacking coherence or any clear and self-contained statement of the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
"My report discusses measures to address that and makes a range of proposals that touch every stage of an individual's life. My recommendations are intended to promote the meaning and significance of citizenship within modern Britain."
The report contains key findings from a five month investigation into the current condition of citizenship in the UK. To make it clearer who is a citizen and what it means to be a citizen it recommends:
* Abolishing residual types of citizenship, with the exception of
British Overseas Territories Citizenship and British Nationals
Overseas status, to allow people who qualify for those categories
to obtain full British citizenship.
* Providing that only
citizens should have the fullest rights to political
participation. The right to vote of non-citizens should be phased
out while retaining the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and
Irish citizens who have Irish citizenship by connection to
Northern Ireland.
* Reforming the category of permanent
resident as it blurs the distinction between citizens and
non-citizens. We should expect people who are settled in the UK
for the long-term to become citizens and recognise those who
cannot do so (because their country of origin does not allow dual
nationality) as Associate Citizens.
* Reform of the law of
treason to make the duty of allegiance relevant to modern conditions.
To enhance our sense of shared belonging along all stages of a citizen's journey through life, the report recommends:
* Creating a clear statement of the rights and responsibilities
of citizenship, which we have never had in the UK.
*
Developing a new national day which becomes a focus for expressing
our sense of shared belonging. The national day will provide a
framework in which different communities in different parts of the
UK come together to celebrate their common bonds.
* Building
the common narrative through citizenship education - which the
report proposes should be an element of primary education as
well.
* That citizenship education has to be active
throughout, consisting in learning through doing.
* Young
people should be launched towards full participation in society
through a citizenship ceremony at the end of school.
*
Reduction in university fees for those who take part in civic
activities.
* A new standard to give employers an incentive to
promote civic engagement among their workers - Investors in
Communities.
* Creating more mentoring opportunities for
people at different stages of their lives - including mentoring
relationship between young and old.
The report also looks at how to engage newcomers to the UK in UK society. That means:
* Taking new steps to promote the learning of English - including
language loans for people who cannot afford to pay for lessons at
the outset.
* A mentoring scheme for people aspiring to become
citizens.
* Encouraging more people to take a citizenship
course through which they will have the opportunity to talk about
what citizenship means with other people.
* Using citizenship
ceremonies to connect new citizens with the local community - for
example, by involving local schools, community organisations and
cultural institutions.
Lord Goldsmith was asked by the Prime Minister last year to conduct the review as part of changes proposed in the Governance of Britain green paper.
Notes to editors
1. Lord Goldsmith QC's Citizenship Report: Citizenship: Our Common Bond is available at http://www.justice.gov.uk/reviews/citizenship.htm
2. As part of the Governance of Britain green paper (http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/governanceofbritain.htm), published on 3 July 2007, the Prime Minister asked Lord Goldsmith to carry out a review of citizenship.
3. The review's terms of reference were:
* To clarify
the legal rights and responsibilities associated with British
citizenship, in addition to those enjoyed under the Human Rights
Act, as a basis for defining what it means to be a citizen in
Britain's open democratic society.
* To consider the
difference between the different categories of British
nationality.
* To examine the relationship between residence,
citizenship and British national status and the incentives for
long-term residents to become British citizens.
* To explore
the role of citizens and residents in civic society, including
voting, jury service and other forms of civic
participation.
This work will include a review of the evidence
gathered in government, by among others the Commission on
Integration and Cohesion, and non-government sources and will make
recommendations. The review will report to the Prime Minister by
31 March 2008.
