The downside to this is that we have to have an MP who is interested in taking the bill. Julian has persuaded the Government to help out if someone wants to present a PMB.
Here is a bit of information from the Home Office on the protocol of Private Members and Handout Bills.
I plan on contacting the MPs who are successful in the ballot to persuade them to take on the government handout bill that is in our favor. If you'd like to help, please contact me through the link in the top right hand side of the site.
I have researched the information that is published on the process for Government Handout Bills, and think that you may find this Cabinet Office guide helpful: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210917/Guide_to_Making_Legislation_July_2013.pdf.There is a specific section on Handout Bills.To answer your question, a number of private members will bid in the bill ballot; some will have a specific bill they want to pursue, others will not.The option of taking forward a bill to provide a citizenship route for children of unmarried British fathers will be offered to an MP who has not got a Bill of their own they want to introduce and has scored highly in the ballot.As you suspect, this doesn’t give an absolute guarantee of success, but the fact that this Bill has government support, and is seen to correct a longstanding inequality in current law, would presumably make it attractive to members.