This is British story with widespread legal ramifications, involving a Bangladeshi (Shamima Begum), a Pakistani (Sajid Javid) and an Indian (Priti Patel).

A little background is essential: back in February 2015, Shamima, then a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Bethnal Green Academy in East London fled to Syria, joined the Islamic State terror group, “married” a Dutch fighter and had three children, all of whom have died from lack of medical care. Shamima, now 21, is currently languishing in the Al Roj detention camp in northeast Syria. Her classmates, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana, who ran away with her — part of the “Bethal Green trio” — were both killed in the fighting.

In 2019, the then home secretary, Javid, decided Shamima was a threat to national security and stripped her of her British nationality, a decision subsequently backed by Patel, his successor.

Shamima’s lawyers challenged this ruling, with the Appeal Court saying in July last year she needed to come back to fight the decision of the home office to keep her out.

The latest twist in the legal drama came on Friday with the Supreme Court ruling that the Appeal Court was wrong —and that Shamima should not be allowed back.

In political terms this will be a very popular decision, partly because Shamima isn’t white, and also because of her own free will she sided with a terrorist group which carried out horrific public beheading of its western hostages.

In the language of ordinary people, no one should waste their sympathies on her. The contrary argument is that she is Britain’s problem and should be brought back to face justice in the UK.

Five Supreme Court judges ruled unanimously against Shamima.

Announcing the ruling, the court’s president, Lord Reed, said: “The Supreme Court unanimously allows all of the home secretary’s appeals and dismisses Ms Begum’s cross-appeal.”

He said the Court of Appeal’s judgment “did not give the home secretary’s assessment the respect which it should have received”, given her “responsibility for making such assessments” and accountability to parliament.