This petition was submitted during the 2017–2019 Conservative government

Petition Ban all ISIS members from returning to UK

Ban all ISIS members from returning to the UK, remove their citizenship and passports

More details

By banning all returning ISIS members and by removing their citizenship and passports it would help keep the UK safe from terrorists and their actions. It would also save hundreds of thousands of pounds and time of the police and security services. It would also send a message to others that membership of terrorist orgsnisation will not be tollerated.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

598,254 signatures

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Parliament debated this topic

This topic was debated on 18 March 2019

Government responded

This response was given on 27 November 2018

British citizenship can be removed if it does not render the individual stateless. Any risk posed by those who return from Syria will be managed and they may be investigated for criminal offences.

Read the response in full

The Government’s priority is to do everything we can to help keep our country safe, including managing the risk posed by those who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq and may be linked to terrorist organisations.

UK nationals have the right to return to the country, but anyone who does return from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq will be investigated by the police and prosecuted where there is evidence that they have committed criminal offences.

The Home Secretary has the power to remove or ‘deprive’ a British national’s citizenship and stop them from returning to the UK if they hold or are eligible to hold another nationality and if he assesses that individual’s presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good. This may only happen if the person would not be left stateless as a result. This power has been used against those who travelled to fight overseas. Non-UK nationals can be excluded from the country.

Where it is not possible to deprive an individual of their British nationality, a range of powers are available to protect national security.

There have already been several successful prosecutions for those who have returned from Syria. This includes the minimum of 40 years for Khalid Ali who was sentenced earlier this year for planning a terrorist attack in Westminster.

In addition to seeking prosecution of terrorism suspects we use a range of tools to manage the threat posed. We impose travel restrictions for individuals subject to Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures, and require those individuals who return to the UK subject to a Temporary Exclusion Order, to report to a police station regularly.

Home Office