There can be few more dramatic examples of the state’s power over its citizens than to strip one of their very nationality. That was the decision taken by then-home secretary Sajid Javid in February 2019 regarding Shamima Begum after she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp.
Ms Begum has been locked in a legal battle with the government ever since. And this morning she suffered a significant blow in her battle to return to Britain, as a court rejected claims that she was unlawfully stripped of her British citizenship. For some helpful background, here’s a timeline of events since 2015.
