Shamima Begum, the London schoolgirl who ran away to join Isis in Syria, has dominated the headlines in recent days after she pleaded to be allowed to return home to Britain.

Ms Begum, who fled Bethnal Green when she was 15 years old in 2015, has now given birth to a baby boy in a refugee camp in Syria, and wants to bring him back to the UK.

Her plea has provoked a debate over her rights as a British citizen. Home secretary Sajid Javid has he would not hesitate to block her return.

What makes you a British citizen?

There are two types of British citizens – those who are a British citizen “by descent” and those who are a British citizen “otherwise than by descent” – and they have different rights.

Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Show all 14 1 /14 Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Men who fled the last Isis-held area of Syria line up to be questioned by American and Kurdish intelligence officials Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A young girl pulls her belongings after arriving Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate An SDF fighter hands out bread to women and children after they arrive Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Sita Ghazzar, 70, after fleeing from the last Isis-held territory in Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A family from Russia who recently fled the last Isis-held area of Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall Richard Hall/The Independent

If you were born in the UK to at least one British parent, you are British otherwise than by descent.

For children born outside the UK, who have at least one parent who was a British citizen at the time of the birth, they are usually British by descent.

Is British citizenship passed onto children born outside the UK?

A parent who is a British citizen otherwise than by descent at the time of birth can pass their British citizenship onto their children regardless of where the child is born.

But if neither parent is a British citizen otherwise than by descent, the child born outside the UK does not automatically become British.

A parent who is a British citizen by descent cannot normally pass their citizenship to children born outside of the UK. But they may be able to register their child as a British national.