Lord Goldsmith QC Citizenship Review
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.
Lord Goldsmith QC
Citizenship Review research
Lord Goldsmith's report on citizenship, 'Citizenship: Our common bond', drew on a substantial body of research that was commissioned as part of the review.
Monthly publications
Over the course of the Review, we published a series of pamphlets, focusing on different aspects of the subject, written by leading experts and commentators. The pamphlets contain the views of the authors rather than those of Lord Goldsmith ...
Citizenship Review submissions
A wide range of individuals and organisations contributed to the Citizenship Review, contributing to all aspects of the review.
Lord Goldsmith's report on citizenship
- Citizenship: Our common bond (PDF 1.01mb 138 pages)
You can obtain a hard copy of the report by contacting the Review team.
Terms of reference
- 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
The review was launched on 5 October 2007 and reported to the Prime Minister in March 2008.