In the frightening days after 7/7, John Tulloch was the face of Britain’s resistance to terror: bloodied, dazed, clothes in shreds, his picture appeared on newspaper front pages around the world.
Sitting opposite a suicide bomber on a Circle Line train, he had been saved from death by his own luggage. He was visited in hospital by the Prince of Wales, who proclaimed him an example of the “resilience of the British people”.
But now John, 70, could be kicked out in a mix-up over Home Office rules.
He was born in India to British parents when the country was still part of the Empire, making him automatically a British citizen.
He has worked in the UK for most of his life and his father fought for Britain as an officer in the Gurkha Rifles. But John took up Australian citizenship when he moved Down Under to work, and that has automatically cancelled his British nationality.
On his return to the UK he was granted a work permit but that will expire when he retires shortly, and he has been told he must leave.
He said:
“I was hailed as an example of British courage, an iconic image of British resistance.
“I get blown (Sic) up in the media as a British patriot – then I get kicked out.”
So the argument seems to be that he should have taken out dual citizenship but Professor assumed that this was the case and if he can get it wrong so can thousands of others.
Clearly this a stupid ruling from the immigrations services and another example of the unfairness of our laws regarding our Laws.
I have nothing but sympathy for John Tulloch's case but I can't help feeling that there would not have been such an uproar if his surname was Singh or Gupta for instance.
Lets hope common sense rules here though.
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