If I Was Born in Britain, Am I a British Citizen, What Rights Do I Have?

In a simple answer No. In a complex answer Yes and No.

First, lets define born in Britain.

“If you lived in the UK until you were 10 you might automatically be a British citizen. This can depend on if your parents were British citizens or ‘settled’ in the UK when you were born.

‘Settled’ means you are living in the UK without any time restrictions. This includes people who have one of the following:

• ‘indefinite leave to remain’
• ‘settled status’ (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’)
• permanent residence status
• ‘right of abode’

If you’re not automatically a British citizen, you might be able to register to become one.²” (https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-born-uk/uk-until-10) – 13 Jan 2021

Second, what is Britain?

• “London is the capital of England.
• England is a country.
• Britain is an area that consists of England and the country of Wales.
• Great Britain is the name of the island that is home to the countries of England, Wales, and Scotland.
• The United Kingdom (UK) is a country that is a union of the countries on the island of Great Britain, along with the country of Northern Ireland (which shares the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.)
• The Republic of Ireland is a separate country that is not part of the UK.
• London is also the capital of the UK.³” (https://www.denverlibrary.org/blog/england-great-britain-united-kingdom-whats-difference | Reviews: Library Journal; Travel, the London Olympics and Beyond, February 28, 2012) – 13 Jan 2021

Third, what is a citizen?

“According to the British Nationality Act 1981, a British Citizen is a person on whom that status has been conferred, automatically or by law. There are many long-term residents who might be expected to be British Citizens, but are not. EU citizens resident in the UK have had the right to vote in general elections, but not the Brexit referendum. The “Nationality Act” also described other forms of British National.¹” (https://www.freemovement.org.uk/what-is-so-special-about-being-a-british-citizen-legally/) – 13 Jan 2021

“The United Kingdom has nationality laws but not citizenship laws. There is no coherent citizenship policy on what ought to be a citizen and questions remain, why is citizenship important, what are the rights of citizens, who should be entitled to be a citizen, who should be encouraged to be a citizen and who should have their citizenship taken away? There are no rights or responsibilities unique to British citizens.¹“

“Right of Abode” is the right without permission to come into and out of the country without hindrance, and to live, work or settle without hindrance.¹“

What responsibilities do we have?

“Law in a democratic society

Laws are made by the politicians we elect democratically – we may not agree with the law but there are democratic opportunities to change it.

In a democratic society someone charged with a crime has the opportunity to defend him/herself. Habeas Corpus applies – this means no one can be imprisoned unlawfully. He or she will be deemed innocent until proven guilty by a criminal court. Punishments traditionally reflect the seriousness of the crime. The most serious are those which involve violence and/or loss of life.⁴” (⁴https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8mpmnb/revision/4) – 13 Jan 2021

Stigma RTS: Fourth, combine all three to get your answer.

If I Was Born in Britain, Am I a British Citizen, And What Rights Do I Have?

The United Kingdom does not have citizens, but it has residents who either by permission or by being born in the country have British nationality. Basically, politics is the deciding factor, if I can stand in elections and/or vote I am British. An interesting thought.

Everybody regardless of their genealogy have rights no matter what country they were born in. But they are not without cost. We must live and act according to the laws, acts and customs of the land we live.

What are our basics rights in Britain? To speak for myself and others. There is no list of rules to obey, but there are traffic laws, rules of conduct, and association. You will never know all of them or read them unless you break them, you just happen to have insomnia (or you happen to be a QC or want to be). Parliament passes and amends laws. All UK residents can ask for any law to be changed by acting as a group and asking a local councillor or Member of Parliament. Traffic laws and rules of conduct are enforced by the police.

And since our business is registered in Scotland, we are now subject to the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020 – with all its implications for freedom of association, which can also be enforced outside our borders for any reason justified by the legislation. (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2020/10/enacted) – 13 Jan 2021

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Now that the United Kingdom is not part of Europe we have no recourse to send cases to the European Court of Human Rights. If I have a problem with any UK company, individual or the government itself what should I do?

Our next article in our series will be:

“I’m a person who is not well known yet, get me out of here – Who should I ask?”

Some contents of this page are sourced from: (¹https://www.freemovement.org.uk/what-is-so-special-about-being-a-british-citizen-legally/) – 13 Jan 2021
(²https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-born-uk/uk-until-10) – 13 Jan 2021
(³https://www.denverlibrary.org/blog/england-great-britain-united-kingdom-whats-difference | Reviews: Library Journal; Travel, the London Olympics and Beyond, February 28, 2012) – 13 Jan 2021
(⁴https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8mpmnb/revision/4) – 13 Jan 2021
Photo Source: (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/The_Union_Jack_Flag_MOD_45153521.jpg/640px-The_Union_Jack_Flag_MOD_45153521.jpg) and (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8mpmnb/revision/4) – 13 Jan 2021