From February 2026, most dual British citizens will need to use a British passport to travel to the UK. Presenting only a non-British passport will no longer be sufficient for boarding flights or ferries, unless it carries a certificate (costing £589) that confirms right of abode.

The rule was introduced to align dual nationals with the UK’s new electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system and to prevent confusion in border checks.

In legal terms, nothing fundamental has changed. British citizens still have the right to enter and live in the UK. But in practice, the way that right must be demonstrated has shifted. And that shift tells us something important about how citizenship is being reshaped in the digital age.

Over the past three decades, dual citizenship has become widely accepted internationally. In 1990, fewer than a third of countries allowed dual nationality in cases of naturalisation. By 2016, roughly three-quarters did.

This change reflected globalisation. As populations became more mobile, states adapted. Migrants often maintain attachments to more than one country. Dual citizenship is a pragmatic recognition of that reality, allowing people to belong in more than one place without forcing an exclusive choice.

According to the 2021 census, 1.2% of UK-born residents (587,600) were dual citizens with another country, rising from 0.5% in 2011 (231,600). For non-UK-born residents, 6.5% were dual citizens with the UK in 2021 (648,700), up from 5.1% in 2011 (381,200).

The rise reflects broader demographic change, but it also coincided with Brexit. The number of people holding both British and EU passports increased significantly between 2011 and 2021, suggesting that many UK residents sought to retain EU citizenship protections as the UK left the EU, while some EU residents acquired British citizenship to preserve unrestricted access to the UK.

In other words, dual citizenship in the UK today includes longstanding migrant and diasporic communities, but also a growing cohort shaped by recent geopolitical change.

Digital borders

The UK’s new passport rule does not mean the country is less tolerant of dual citizens. But it is a consequence of borders becoming more digitised in recent years.

Borders today are not confined to passport control desks. They operate through airline check-in systems, pre-travel authorisations, biometric databases and algorithmic risk assessments. Airlines are required to confirm eligibility before boarding. Digital systems match names, dates of birth and passport numbers against centralised records. Such systems prioritise coherence and consistency, aiming to eliminate ambiguity.

But dual citizenship, and transnational life more broadly, produce precisely the kind of complexity that digital systems struggle to accommodate. Names may differ across jurisdictions. Marriage can produce surname changes in one country but not another. Accent marks may appear in one passport and not in its transliteration. Children born abroad may be citizens by descent but have never held a British passport.

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There is little room for discretion when border checks are digitised. The administrative solution is to use the British passport when entering Britain. Yet this is not always straightforward. Some dual citizens born abroad have never needed a British passport and must now apply for one in order to travel. Others may consider renouncing British citizenship to avoid the administrative burden — but this option is not available to underage dual citizens.

Dual citizens are not a homogeneous group. They include naturalised migrants who have retained their original nationality; British-born citizens who later acquired another citizenship through residence or marriage; children of mixed-nationality families; foreign-born children of British emigrants who are citizens by descent; and members of long-established Commonwealth communities whose plural affiliations are a result of British imperial history.

For some, the new rule simply means ensuring that their British passport is valid. For others — particularly families living abroad who have never needed a British passport for their children — it introduces an unexpected bureaucratic step.

This is where borders intersect with inequality. Families with easy access to consular services, financial resources and familiarity with UK administrative systems can adapt quickly. Those living further from British bureaucratic infrastructure face greater friction.

The UK’s passport requirement is being introduced during a wider political moment in which states are exerting tighter control over citizenship. In the US, Donald Trump’s administration pledged to restrict birthright citizenship and expand the state’s power to remove citizenship.

In a number of countries, citizenship revocation powers have disproportionately targeted dual nationals, precisely because removing citizenship from mono-nationals would breach international law by rendering them stateless.

What we may be witnessing is not the retreat of dual citizenship, but its transformation. It remains widely tolerated. Yet it is increasingly bureaucratically policed.

The cumulative effect is subtle but significant. Citizenship is no longer just a legal status secured once and for all. It must remain legible to digital border systems and be continuously probed through interconnected databases.

Dual citizenship emerged as recognition that identities and attachments can be layered. Digital borders, by contrast, favour clarity and singular representation. This tension is unlikely to disappear.

The UK’s move signals how, in an era of digital borders and geopolitical uncertainty, the lived experience of citizenship is being reshaped — not through headline constitutional change, but through the quiet reorganisation of administrative systems.

Emergency services were called to a terrace property on Ashfield at around 8.45am yesterday, February 20.

The fire is being treated as arson, and a police investigation was launched.

A fire and crime scene investigator were examining the home on Friday afternoon (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Pictures from the scene showed a Durham Police van and a crime scene investigation van outside the property.

Four men, aged between 23 and 34, were arrested on Thursday afternoon and taken into police custody.

In a new update from Durham Constabulary, they have since been released on bail while further enquiries are carried out.

CSI van and fire investigation car on the scene yesterday (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Residents described the incident as “frightening” as police and fire crews flooded the street during the morning school run.

One man said: “It’s a quiet road. You get the odd stuff which you do anywhere now, but it’s never usually as full as it was with police all over.

“I was just leaving the house when they all came, and with the school run and everything, it was really busy.

“I’ve heard everyone is okay, but the house doesn’t look good.”

A police cordon was around the home whilst investigations were carried out (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

A woman who lives a few doors away said she had initially heard nothing while out on the school run, but was alarmed when she returned.

She said: “We were frightened, as when I was heading back, we didn’t know whether it was ours, but it’s all okay, it’s just that property affected.”

The picture shows the blackened entrance way to the home after the fire (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called at 8.37am today (February 20) to a house fire on Ashfield in Newton Aycliffe.

“Three fire engines from Darlington and Newton Aycliffe Fire Stations attended the incident.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used one hose reel to put out the fire and a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the smoke.

“Crews left the scene at 9.41am.”

A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary added: “Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 67 of February 20.

“Information can also be submitted anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Burnley, meanwhile, produced a remarkable comeback against Crystal Palace in their last league outing but are still ten points from safety and suffered a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Mansfield last weekend. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.

Detective drama, Death in Paradise, has a legion of loyal fans, including one star-struck viewer, who asked if he and his wife could be extras on the show, which is filmed on the stunning island of Guadeloupe

A die-hard Death in Paradise fan has revealed what the stars of the show are really like. Filmed on the stunning island of Guadeloupe, the BBC smash hit, currently starring Don Gilet as detective inspector, Mervin Wilson, has a legion of loyal fans.

Death in Paradise stans, Mike Mitchell and his wife Liz, became so engrossed in the detective drama during lockdown that they hot-footed it to the Caribbean in 2022 and asked producers if they could be extras in the series.

Much to their delight, they were welcomed to the fictional island of Saint Marie with open arms and were soon rubbing shoulders with the stars of the show. Here’s what they had to say about the famous faces from the Honoré police station starting with fan favourite, Selwyn Patterson…

OPINION

Jasmine Allday

READ MORE: BBC Death In Paradise first look teases surprise return and devastating double exit

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Don Warrington – Commissioner Selwyn Patterson

Don Warrington has played Commissioner Selwyn Patterson since Death in Paradise began in 2011.

Speaking to the Express, Mike said he shared a few rums with the famous thespian, who has long list of theatre and film credits under his belt revealing: “We’ve met Don Warrington. Don used to come and join us for a drink in the bar at the hotel in the evening.

“He’d go to the hotel and have a meal, on his own usually, and then he’d come to the bar where we were sitting. We’d sit and drink rum together and tell stories.”

Ralf Little – DI Neville Parker

The couple also met Royale Family star, Ralf Little, who starred as DI Neville Parker from 2020 before leaving in 2024 to be replaced with EastEnders star, Don Gilet.

Revealing Ralf wished him luck before making his debut on the show, Mike recalled: “Ralf came and stood next to us and he said, ‘Good luck. I hope it goes well.’ He was very encouraging. Afterwards we all just had a bit of a chit-chat.”

Ginny Holder – Officer Darlene Curtis

As well as Ralf, Mike and Liz also met with Shantol Jackson (DS Naomi Thomas), Ginny Holder (Officer Darlene Curtis) and Tahj Miles (Officer Marlon Pryce).

Of this group, they stayed in touch with one popular cast member. Mike said: “We stayed in touch with Ginny, she still messages us now. They’re all really nice people.”

Sadly, Ginny is no longer in the series. Accompanied by a compilation of footage from Darlene’s stint on the programme, a statement from the BBC: ” Sadly, we’re saying goodbye to Darlene this series. Ginny Holder has been a much-loved cast member, and we’re hugely grateful to her for bringing her talent, personality, and energy to Officer Darlene Curtis.”

Happily for Ginny’s fans, the star is still acting and appeared in the new series of Midsommer Murders at the beginning of the year.

Following their successful stint in 2022, Mike and Liz later returned to Guadeloupe for a third visit in 2024, this time seeing current lead actor Don, who plays Mervin Wilson, who has been hailed by some as the ‘greatest inspector’ the show has had.

The couple also came across the much-loved Élizabeth Bourgine, who plays bar owner, Catherine Bordey, in the smash-hit show, which is now in its 15th series.

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