Make BN(O) Hongkongers full British citizens, Boris Johnson urged by top political figures as UK election approaches
- Several influential parliamentarians call on prime minister to give holders of British National (Overseas) passports full citizenship
- The call, which its supporters say would correct ‘historic error’, injects the issue into Britain’s elections
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure to give full citizenship to Hongkongers holding British National (Overseas) passports, or BN(O)s, as he runs for re-election.
A former Conservative Party chairman has joined the call for Johnson, who now leads the party, to correct the “historic error” of not giving BN(O) holders full citizenship, while the Liberal Democrats became the first major party to support in their election manifesto a “right of abode” for these Hongkongers.
BN(O) passports are travel documents that the British government granted only to Hongkongers born before the 1997 handover. As they do not entail the right to live and work in Britain, there have been calls to upgrade BN(O)s to full citizenship status amid the protests and increasingly violent clashes with police in Hong Kong since June.
The British government has been studying what possible changes could be made but the parliamentary election has added difficulty to an already complex and sensitive matter, which may weigh directly on Britain-China relations, several sources say.
The debate brought another layer of diplomatic pressure facing Hong Kong’s embattled government, after the US Senate this week passed a bill supporting Hong Kong democracy.