Review of citizenship to launch at Wembley stadium

logo for Lord Goldsmith's review

05 October 2007

Lord Goldsmith will launch a review of British citizenship at Wembley stadium today when Brent Council will also host its first citizenship ceremony at the iconic local landmark.


Lord Goldsmith will launch a review of British citizenship at the new Wembley stadium today when Brent Council will also host its first citizenship ceremony at the iconic local landmark.

Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General, was asked by the Prime Minister in July to conduct the review as part of changes proposed in the 'Governance of Britain' green paper.

Lord Goldsmith said:

"Calling a person a citizen is an important step. We accept people into our national community when we make them citizens. And, by seeking citizenship, a person expresses their desire to be a member of our community. Yet we take citizenship for granted in this country, especially when people are born with it.

"This review is an opportunity to address that. Over the next few months, I am hoping to articulate more clearly the significance of citizenship, and develop recommendations to ensure that our approach to citizenship is appropriate for modern issues of migration, identity and civic participation."

The review will look at the journey to citizenship, both for people born in the United Kingdom and for people who have moved to live here.

It will:
  • Examine the legal rights and responsibilities associated with British citizenship.
  • Consider the difference between the different categories of British nationality.
  • Examine the relationship between residence, citizenship and British national status and the incentives for long-term residents to become British citizens.
  • Explore the role of citizens and residents in civic society, including voting, jury service and other forms of civic participation.

Mark Rimmer, Service Director of the Brent Registration and Nationality Service, said:

"Citizenship ceremonies should feel like a celebration, not an administrative process. Brent hosted the very first Citizenship Ceremony in the UK in January 2004 and now, having hosted almost 500 ceremonies here in Brent, we are keen to further explore the possibilities involving our schools and young people and the role of new citizens in our communities and their contribution as residents. 

"Wembley Stadium with its iconic arch, stands out on the landscape in Brent and we should be using venues like these to give citizenship ceremonies a national profile and to engage new citizens in the community.

"People born and raised in this country are often far too cynical about being British and it seems to be a national pastime to put down British institutions and our way of life. It may be too naïve to believe that citizenship ceremonies will change attitudes but they may at least make people stop to think about how lucky we all are to be living in a tolerant and free society."

Notes to editors

1. As part of the 'Governance of Britain' green paper, published on 3 July 2007, the Prime Minister asked Lord Goldsmith to carry out a review of citizenship.

2. The review's terms of reference are:

  • 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 work closely with the Youth Citizenship Commission on areas of mutual interest.

The review will report to the Prime Minister by 31 March 2008.

3. Brent was the first council in the UK to hold a citizenship ceremony when they were introduced in January 2004. There are now three citizenship ceremonies a week in Brent.

4. Citizenship ceremonies began in January 2004 as a result of provisions contained in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. The task of delivering the ceremonies was delegated to local authorities and specifically to the Registration Service, which was already responsible for civil marriages. It was thought the celebratory nature of that work was ideally suited to the concept of citizenship ceremonies.

5. Today's ceremony will also mark the launch of a new pamphlet, 'The Future of Citizenship Ceremonies', in which Mark Rimmer, Service Director of the Brent Registration and Nationality Service, sets out his vision for how ceremonies should involve local schools and be held in other iconic buildings.

6. The review will publish regular pamphlets in the months leading up to Lord Goldsmith's report in spring 2008. 

7. To attend the ceremony and filming or photography requests contact Alfred Bacchus, Press Officer, Ministry of Justice on 020 7210 1476 or Prafula Shah, 020 8937 1140 or mobile 07789 874 228.

8. For interviews with Lord Goldsmith contact Alfred Bacchus, Press Officer, Ministry of Justice on 020 7210 1476.

For interviews with Mark Rimmer and citizens attending the ceremony, contact Prafula Shah, Wembley Marketing and Communications Manager, 020 8937 1140 or mobile 07789 874 228.