The government has deprived Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, allegedly making her stateless.

The security minister previously said the Isis supporter had a right to return to the UK from Syria as a British national, and the justice secretary said she could not be made stateless.

But a letter from the Home Office obtained by ITV News told her family that Sajid Javid made an order “removing her British citizenship” on Tuesday.

The document, addressed to Begum’s mother, said the decision was taken “in light of the circumstances of your daughter”. 

“I would be very grateful if you could ensure the home secretary’s decision is brought to her attention, along with her right to appeal,” it added.

The family’s lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, told The Independent Begum had been a sole British national and had “never had a Bangladeshi passport”.

He said the family was “very disappointed” with the decision.

“We are considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision,” a statement added.

He said the family was “very disappointed” with the decision.

“We are considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision,” a statement added.

“In practice, this power means the Secretary of State may deprive and leave a person stateless if that person is able to acquire (or reacquire) the citizenship of another country.”

But in November the government was found to have acted unlawfully in removing the citizenship of two British alleged Islamists.

The government said the two alleged Islamists had links to Bangladesh, but the Special Immigration and Appeals Commission found they had been made stateless.

Use of citizenship deprivations has been increasing. In 2017, the government stripped 104 people of their British citizenship, compared to just 14 people in 2016.

The measure has been used for high-profile terrorists, including alleged members of the British Isis cell known as the Beatles, as well as grooming gang members.