My Take | Let BN(O) passport holders move to Britain
- It’s an unlikely scenario, but suppose it did happen: those dissatisfied with Hong Kong would have a new home, while others who want to live here – including many from southern China – would be an infusion of new blood
Hong Kong people who hold British National (Overseas) passports deserve residency in the United Kingdom. While neither Britain nor China wants that, the former has a moral responsibility and the latter would benefit from such an arrangement.
Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that people can debate indefinitely and yet is unlikely to ever happen. British citizens who voted for Brexit because of anti-immigrant sentiments would not want to exchange central European workers for Chinese from Hong Kong.
But there are always a few former British officials who raise it periodically, either out of guilt or virtue-signalling.
His claim contradicts the position of the British government. As the main author of a 2008 government review on citizenship, Goldsmith’s claim carries tremendous legal weight. It has taken him a while to speak up though. Former Democratic Party leader Martin Lee Chu-ming has long argued that as colonial subjects, Hong Kong people should have been allowed to live in the UK. After all, Macau residents born before the 1999 handover can apply for residency in Portugal.
Beijing, of course, takes a dim view of the idea. As far as it is concerned, Hong Kong people are Chinese subjects. And if Hong Kong is run properly with stability and prosperity guaranteed, why would anyone want to emigrate? Well, things have not turned out as planned.