My Take | Britain must prove its commitment to the BN(O) scheme for HK migrants
While the UK needs to calm the headwinds gathering around immigration, it should also declare that the status quo for Hongkongers will stay
Britain has endured another summer of discontent, with concerns about immigration sparking protests, court challenges and shifts in government policy. There has, thankfully, been no repeat of the riots which spread across the country last year.
But there is much frustration and anger about the government’s inability to prevent thousands of asylum seekers arriving on small boats, with many housed in hotels at public expense.
Populist politician Nigel Farage, whose anti-immigration Reform UK party is leading in the polls, issued a chilling pledge to deport hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants if he wins the next election.
The political needle has moved, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, driven to impose restrictions.
While public concerns are focused on illegal, rather than lawful, immigration, the climate is deeply worrying for all recent migrants, including those from Hong Kong.
Plans to extend the period legal migrants must wait before becoming permanent residents from five years to 10, with stricter English-language requirements, were announced in May.