the nationality, immigration and asylum act 2002 granted british overseas citizens, british subjects and british protected persons the right to register as british citizens if they have no other citizenship or nationality and have not after 4 july 2002 renounced, voluntarily relinquished or lost through action or inaction any citizenship or nationality. previously such persons would have not had the right of abode in any country, and would have thus been "de facto" stateless. despite strong resistance from senior officials at the home office, the then home secretary, david blunkett, said on 3 july 2002 that this would "right a historic wrong" that left stateless tens of thousands of asian people who had worked closely with british colonial administrations. this provision was extended to british nationals (overseas) in 2009.