It considered that Begum's challenge to her loss of British citizenship could only be stayed until such time as she is in a position to play an effective part in it without the safety of the public being compromised.

[5] On 13 February 2019, Anthony Loyd of The Times interviewed Begum at the al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria, with the newspaper calling this "a major scoop".

[6] On 19 February 2019, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid decided to use his power to deprive Begum of her United Kingdom citizenship, relying on information not to be made public on the grounds of national security.

"[17] In reaction to this, the United Nations special rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, welcomed the decision, commenting "I commend the UK Court of Appeal for grasping the essential and absolute importance of the right to meaningfully participate in the proceedings depriving a person of their citizenship".

[18] The Court of Appeal ordered the Home Secretary to grant Begum leave to enter the United Kingdom and to provide her with the travel documents she needed.

The United Nations special rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, was represented by Guglielmo Verdirame QC, Jason Pobjoy, and Belinda McRae, who made written submissions and did not appear in court.

[9] Sajid Javid, who had taken the decisions being challenged, welcomed the Supreme Court judgment and said 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 ... any restrictions of rights and freedoms faced by this individual are a direct consequence of the extreme actions that she and others have taken, in violation of government guidance and common morality.

[9]Maya Foa, director of Reprieve, writing in The Guardian, stated that Begum was a victim of human trafficking and had been "reduced to a caricature".

"[32] In The Daily Telegraph, Patrick O'Flynn welcomed the judgment, commenting that it was a victory for common sense and came as a surprise, as judges rarely "cite the desire of the British public not to be placed in danger when the apparently inalienable right of some scumbag or other to a family life or to avoid the risk of persecution in another land is at stake.

The BBC's home and legal affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said the imminent decision had "potentially major implications for Ms Begum's case and others like it.

"[34] In reporting the decision, The Washington Post said Begum's was the citizenship revocation with the highest profile and the case had divided the British on matters of extremism and human rights.