A British schoolgirl has been left stranded in Denmark just weeks before sitting her GCSEs due to new UK border rules affecting British dual nationals.
Hanne, 16, was stopped from boarding a flight home to London on March 8 and now faces a six-week wait for a new passport.
She had been returning from a weekend visit to see her British father, an academic on a short work stint at a university in Copenhagen.
The teenager had travelled with her Norwegian-born mother but was still waiting for a British passport, which she had applied for before the trip.
Her Liberal Democrat MP, James MacCleary, called on Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood to intervene, saying a school child now faced 'a nail-biting wait' overseas due to the government's 'mishandling' of the situation.
Like hundreds of others, her parents did not know of the rule change brought in by the Home Office, according to The Guardian.
Hanne, who is sitting her GCSEs in May, has now missed two weeks of school and is facing a potential six-week wait for a passport.
The first time the family knew about the new border rules was when Hanne wasn't able to check in for her return flight.
The airline, Norwegian, rang the British embassy in Copenhagen, but they could not help.
One immigration lawyer said the Home Office could be breaching laws concerning the welfare of children.
'Obviously, it is very stressful,' Ingrid said. 'We are very worried about the GCSEs, she is missing school, missing her mother, her siblings and all the other things in her life.'
'It will be a disaster if she can't come back soon.'
Mr MacCleary said poor planning and a lack of clear communication over the new rules had left dual nationals stranded abroad, causing widespread disruption and distress.
He warned some had missed major life events, while others, including his teenage constituent, now faced serious disruption to their education.
He urged ministers to act quickly to provide a faster, low-cost solution, adding that the Prime Minister should intervene if the situation is not resolved.
Hanne's headteacher said she is effectively unable to return to the UK despite being a British citizen with a permanent home and school place.
They warned that she is missing lessons across all subjects and could fall behind on key assessments, including her GCSEs.
She is one of several children reportedly stopped from boarding flights since new rules came into force in February, requiring dual nationals to present a British passport or official documentation before travelling.
Immigration lawyer Zeena Luchowa said there were serious concerns about the impact on children, noting authorities have a legal duty to consider their welfare.
She added that British citizens have a clear right to enter the UK, and warned the rules risk having a disproportionate effect if applied too rigidly.
Hanne has been stuck in Denmark for two weeks, with her mother forced to return to Britain alone to collect her school books and a laptop and bring them to Copenhagen where she can home school.
In a further blow, the family were told her passport application would be cancelled because she is now overseas, meaning she must reapply from abroad - a process that could take up to six weeks.
The Home Office said guidance advising dual nationals to travel with a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement has been publicly available since October.