Migration to the United Kingdom receives widespread attention, but less attention is paid to the major increase in the number of people becoming British citizens. UK citizenship has undergone substantial changes in recent decades and a clear up-to-date examination of what UK citizenship actually means, who has access to it and on what terms, is long overdue.

Thom Brooks is Professor of Law and Government at Durham University, and one of the United Kingdom's leading experts on British citizenship. Brooks passed the UK citizenship test and became a British citizen in 2011. He is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and United States.