You Have To Be Born In The UK To Be British, According To Growing Number Of Brits

An increasing number of Brits believe one has to be born in the UK to be be British, according to a study.

Analysis carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and YouGov, first reported by the Guardian, found almost twice as many people in the UK think birthplace is a key part of British identity compared to two years ago.

Just over a third (36%) told the IPPR that you can only be truly British if born in the UK, compared to 19% in 2023.

Almost three-quarters (71%) of Reform UK voters supported this belief.

A further 59% of those who back Nigel Farage’s rising party say the UK is an ethnic not a civic community.

More than a third (36%) of Reform UK voters also claimed they would be prouder of Britain if there were fewer people from minority ethnic backgrounds living in the country in a decades’ time.

An additional 10% of Farage supporters said it is important to have white skin to be a good British citizen.

However, a majority still said other attributes define a good British citizen, such as obeying the law (64%), raising children to be kind (62%) and working hard (48%).

Associate director at IPPR, Parth Patel, said: “Politicians and activists on the right are trying to change how we think about ourselves and one another.

“They believe belonging to this nation is defined by ancient rights and historical claims, and want the rest of us to believe that too.

“Worryingly, they are starting to change the hearts and minds of some people in Britain.

“Having become used to opponents who challenge them mainly on grounds of economic equality, progressives now find themselves locked in conflict with those who reject far more basic tenets of human equality. We should be meeting this contest with confidence and conviction.”

The survey comes amid rising tensions around race and immigration in the UK.

Far-right protests broke out in the summer over the use of asylum hotels, while calls for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights have been amplified over the last year in the hope of cracking down on the small boats crisis.