Terrorism Expert Tells LBC Priti Patel Is "Absolutely Right" To Close Doors On Shamima Begum

29 September 2019, 13:55 | Updated: 29 September 2019, 13:58

Professor Anthony Glees told Andrew Castle that Priti Patel is right to close the doors on people who join the so-called Islamic State but she's wrong to 'stop gold-plating the UK's international obligations'.

The professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham said: "Priti Patel is absolutely right to say - people who have go out to support or fight for the so-called Islamic State - will not be allowed back. End of story."

He added, however, that "where Priti Patel is wrong, in my view, is to add that she intends to 'stop gold-plating the UK's international obligations."

He told Andrew Castle: "What she's saying is she's not going to stick by the international rules that we have adhered to in order to keep so-called IS fighters out of Britain.

That is very dangerous."

The professor argued that she's "making a very strong political point but she's setting it in the entirely wrong context".

He said: "I think she's right to be hard.

Where she's wrong is to portray being hard as somehow being a maverick in terms of international obligations."

What are the international obligations?

Glees explain: "The international obligations here are that you cannot make people stateless.

"Everybody has got to have a passport.

You cannot say to people you are going to make them stateless"

He added: "She can't say that and have any political credibility."