The Supreme Court said the ISIS bride should not be able to return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her British citizenship. But Government sources believe her lawyers may be planning to challenge the ruling.
A source told the Daily Telegraph: “Essentially her appeal over her citizenship is in limbo until such time as she can appear at a hearing.
“We think her lawyers will probably try to argue that the Government has to provide the facilities in order to enable such a hearing to happen.
“But the reality is that she is in a camp in north-east Syria which is extremely dangerous and has probably not got great phone reception. How could we facilitate it?”
Begum could potentially appeal the ban to the European Court of Human Rights, according to the newspaper.
Handing out his judgement, Lord Justice Reed said: “The Supreme Court unanimously allows all of the Home Secretary’s appeals and dismisses Ms Begum’s cross-appeal.
“The right to a fair hearing does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public.
“If a vital public interest makes it impossible for a case to be fairly heard then the courts cannot ordinarily hear it.
“The appropriate response to the problem in the present case is for the deprivation hearing to be stayed – or postponed – until Ms Begum is in a position to play an effective part in it without the safety of the public being compromised.
READ MORE: Shamima Begum banned from returning to UK – Supreme Court decision
Former Home Office secretary Sajid Javid – who revoked Begum’s citizenship in 2019 – welcomed the decision from the Supreme Court.
He tweeted: “I strongly welcome the Supreme Court’s ruling on Shamima Begum.
“The Home Secretary is responsible for the security of our citizens and borders, and therefore should have the power to decide whether anyone posing a serious threat to that security can enter our country.”
However, other MPs warned refusing to repatriate the ISIS bride and others could backfire on the UK.
MPs Andrew Mitchell, David Davis, Tom Tugendhat and Tobias Ellwood, insisted inaction over their cases would not reflect well on the UK’s reputation.
Begum was 15 when she and two other girls left the UK in 2015 and travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State group.
She was discovered in a refugee camp in 2019.
Begum lived within the terrorist group for three years before she was found.
The Home Office made the decision due to concerns over security if she returned to the UK.
Begum, now 21, challenged the decision in the Court of Appeal last year after a tribunal had found the removal of her citizenship had been lawful.
