2017] Citizenship Stripping Laws in the UK, Canada and Australia 3 We will always take whatever action is necessary to keep the British people safe here at home … We are stopping suspects from travelling by seizing passports. We’re barring foreign nationals from re entering the UK. We’re depriving people of citizenship and we are legislating so we can prosecute people for all terrorist activity, even where that activity takes place overseas.5 In a similar vein, former Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said: Our Government knows that there is no higher purpose for any government than to ensure the safety and security of its citizens and we have never been afraid to call jihadi terrorism exactly what it is. That is why we are taking steps to confront the ever evolving threat of jihadi terrorism by revoking citizenship of dual nationals who have been convicted of heinous crimes against Canada such as terrorism, espionage for foreign governments or taking up arms against Canada and our brave men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces. Our Government’s changes to the Citizenship Act will ensure that those who wish to do us harm will not be able to exploit their Canadian citizenship to endanger Canadians or our free and democratic way of life.6 In announcing plans to introduce expanded citizenship stripping laws, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: It’s worth recalling the citizenship pledge that all of us have been encouraged to recite: I pledge my commitment to Australia and its people; whose democratic beliefs I share; whose rights and liberties I respect; and whose laws I will uphold and obey. This has to mean something. Especially now that we face a homegrown threat from people who do reject our values.7 These statements suggest that the move to reinvigorate denationalisation laws in all three countries was underpinned by two justifications: a security rationale and a symbolic rationale. Both rationales take as their starting point the idea that recent events have produced an increased number of ‘undesirable citizens’, level-from-international-terrorism-raised-pm-press-conference>, archived at <https://perma. cc/T66A-E6QG>. 5 Ibid. 6 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Government of Canada, ‘Protecting Canadians: Government of Canada Now Able to Revoke Citizenship of Dual Citizens Convicted of Terrorism’, Cision (Web Page, 29 May 2015) <www.newswire.ca/news-releases/protecting-canadians--government-of-canada-now-able-to-revoke-citizenship-of-dual-citizens-convicted-of-terrorism-517764271.html>, archived at <https://perma.cc/7HBA-9KZM>. 7 Tony Abbott, ‘National Security Statement’ (Speech, Australian Federal Police Headquarters, 23 February 2015) 7 (emphasis omitted). Advance Copy