British MPs step up calls for Hongkongers to be given rights of abode ‘as an insurance policy’
- Unrest fuels calls for Britain and Commonwealth countries to give residency rights to British National Overseas passport holders
- British government remains non-committal with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warning it risks undermining ‘one country, two systems’
British members of parliament have stepped up their calls for Britain and Commonwealth countries to offer Hongkongers rights of abode as an “insurance policy”.
However, the response from the British government has been lukewarm so far, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab saying the proposal would put the “one country, two systems” model in jeopardy.
The ongoing protests in Hong Kong have put the British government in an uneasy position, as it seeks to strike a balance between criticising China’s policy on Hong Kong and establishing talks for a post-Brexit trade deal with Beijing.
The issue of British National (Overseas) passports has occasionally been raised in Westminster, with some MPs calling for Hongkongers who hold the passports – which were issued to those born before the 1997 handover but do not include citizenship rights – to be given the right to live in Britain.
Under a cross-party proposal, tabled by Tory MP Fiona Bruce on Wednesday, the 53 members of the Commonwealth have been urged “to offer Hong Kong people the insurance policy of second citizenship and a second right of abode”.
The Early Day Motion says the Commonwealth Charter highlights the “inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes”.
“We share these values with Hong Kong, values that are under grave threat as the international treaty signed by China and the UK guaranteeing ‘two systems in one country’ is deconstructed,” Bruce said.
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In recent weeks members of parliament have also endorsed calls for Britain to do more to welcome Hongkongers, with Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, calling for full citizenship rights.
But on Tuesday Raab appeared non-committal about whether to allow Hongkongers at risk of persecution into Britain.
In response to a Commons question, he said: “We gave a range of residents in Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status.
“The importance of that is that we do not want to unpick, at least at this time, one part of the ‘one country, two systems’ model. If we do that, we risk it not being respected on the Chinese side.”
Asked if Beijing was going to scrap one country, two systems, Raab said: “It is not clear, in truth, what the position in Beijing is.
“Actually, if we look at all its public statements, we see that it sticks and adheres to the position of one country, two systems. That provides the model that can resolve this situation, but we need to have respect for the lawful right of protests.”
The foreign secretary also refused a call to stop exporting crowd control equipment such as water cannons and tear gas to the Hong Kong police until an independent inquiry has been carried out.
