SECRET
THE PRESENT SITUATION
12.
The Act of 1948 reflected the situation of the United Kingdom at that time. The country was still an Imperial power; it had direct responsibility for very large populations in Colonial territories. The status of British subject, held by all who had links with the Commonwealth, still seemed meaningful and relevant. The speed at which colonial territories were to become independent was not then generally apparent. Women's status lagged considerably behind that of men. All these things have changed, and the cumulative effect of the changes has been that the citizenship laws of the United Kingdom no longer accurately define those who have the normal attributes of citizenship. This in turn leads to considerable uncertainty and misunderstanding, both at home and overseas, about the United Kingdom's obligations to its citizens.
THE NEXT STEP A NEW SCHEME OF CITIZENSHIP
13.
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A new scheme of citizenship should reflect the strength of the connection which various groups of people have with the United Kingdom in the world today. First there must be a more meaningful citizenship for those who have close links with the United Kingdom (including for this purpose, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and who can be expected to identify themselves with British society. Those holding this new citizenship might be known as British Citizens.
14.
Such a citizenship would avoid the present difficulties described in paragraph 10 of defining which people are to have the unqualified right of entry to this country. But it might then be necessary to provide protection for the rights of entry now enjoyed by people who did not qualify for the new citizenship, and this is discussed in paragraph 27.
15.
Second, arrangements must be made for those people who are now citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (or British Protected Persons), but who do not have such close ties with the United Kingdom as to become British Citizens. These people too would have to be given a new status. To leave those of them who are citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies with that status when many of them have little or no connection by birth, ancestry or residence with the United Kingdom or any Colony would prolong a misleading and unsatisfactory feature of the present situation. Instead, both they and the British Protected Persons might be known as British Overseas Citizens, thus bringing their status more closely into accord with present-day circumstances. The aim might be to limit this citizenship eventually t, those who have the right of entry to a dependency. British Overseas Citizenship would then carry with it the right of entry to a dependency just as British Citizenship would carry with it the right of entry to the United Kingdom. But this, it must be stressed, would be a long-term aim.
16.
With the conferment of British Citizenship on some citizens of the United Kingdom and Ccionies, and British Overseas Citizenship on the remainder, citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies would disappear.
SECRET
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