London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

HK democrats weigh in on British passport rights

After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that British National (Overseas) passport holders will enjoy more rights if China imposes its national security law on the territory, Hong Kong’s democrats were quick to express their views on the matter.

“If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship,” Johnson wrote in an article for The Times newspaper and the South China Morning Post.

“Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life – which China pledged to uphold – is under threat,” he wrote.

Currently about 350,000 people in Hong Kong hold BNO passports, which allow visa-free access to Britain for up to six months. Another 2.5 million people would be eligible to apply for one.

On Monday, people queued up outside a parcel delivery firm in Admiralty as many Hongkongers rushed to renew their BNO passports. Due to the extradition law saga, the number of BNO passport renewal applications surged to 120,826 in 2019, which was about 8.5 times the number in 2018 (14,297).

According to a recent survey compiled by the Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey, 37% of Hong Kong residents said they have considered leaving the city. The center interviewed 815 people over the phone between May 25 and 29 after Beijing said it would impose a national security law in Hong Kong this summer. In a similar survey completed in March, about 24% of the surveyed said they have considered migration.

A Hong Kong graphic designer named Matthew told RTHK that he wanted to leave the city as soon as possible as he had lost faith in its government after it launched the extradition bill last year. He said the national security law will severely curtail Hongkongers’ rights and freedoms.

Another Hong Kong man surnamed Chong, 25, said he was thinking of emigrating to Taiwan due to what he sees as a deteriorating political situation in the city. He said he was renewing his BNO passport as a back-up plan.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized the UK government for interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs. Zhao said China opposed the UK’s unilateral move to change the status of the BNO passport holders and would reserve its right to fight back.

Commenting on the survey showing that some people planned to leave Hong Kong, Zhao said China is a place where people can freely come and go.

Brexit factor


The existing BNO passport holders, together with the 2.5 million eligible applicants, have generally welcomed the UK’s move to offer them more rights to live and work in Britain. However, many still have mixed views on the matter.

Emily Lau Wai-hing, chairwoman of the Democratic Party’s international affairs committee, wrote in a letter published in The Times on Thursday that 2.9 million BNO passport holders “continue to feel abandoned,” although the UK said it would allow them to stay the UK for a renewable period of 12 months. Lau said BNO passport holders should be granted residency directly. She said she had asked the then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984 whether it was morally right to hand over five million Hong Kong residents to the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party.

Andrew Shuen Pak-man, a former stock market commentator, who moved to the UK several years ago, slammed Lau for trying to use the UK’s “colonial guilt” to ask for more rights for BNO passport holders. Shuen said it took years for the British to leave the European Union and regain full control of their immigration policy. He said this generation of Britons may not believe that they have an obligation to help the people of Hong Kong.

Shuen wrote in an article published by the Apple Daily on Friday that Lau’s tone was inappropriate and could undermine a plan that would save millions of Hongkongers. He said Hongkongers should emphasize that they can help Britain connect with countries outside Europe and that they are not seeking social welfare benefits.

Hong Kong-based political commentator Kit Sze said it would be wrong to give millions of Hongkongers the right to live and work in the UK without political screening. He said a lot of pro-Beijing people, or so-called “blue ribbons,” had supported the police and opposed the pro-democracy protests over the past year.

He said these people would continue to blindly support China after they moved to the UK, just like many of the 50,000 people who were granted British citizenship before 1997.


Middle-class families


Poon Kai-tik, an advertising specialist, said on an online radio program that he had talked to some Hong Kong middle-class families and found that many of them have remained hesitant about leaving the city.

Poon said these white-collar workers, mainly employed in the education and legal sectors, could feel Beijing’s rising political threat against them so they deleted all the posts on their Facebook accounts and started censoring themselves.

He added that unless they have children, these people will not choose to leave Hong Kong as it is not easy to live in foreign countries. He said they believe they can survive in the “one country, one system” under the national security law.

Benjamin Au Yeung, a linguistics scholar and comedian, said in an interview that it would be a shame if Hong Kong is mainlandized as the city will remain vibrant only if it retains its freedoms. Au Yeung, who is widely seen as a moderate democrat, said he will stay in a mainlandized Hong Kong as long as the city’s financial system remains stable.

Persecution


However, political commentator Yau Ching-yuen warned that people who decide to stay in Hong Kong should not underestimate the political risks they will face. Yau said many people in the mainland have been persecuted for unintentionally offending powerful people or for not being “patriotic” enough.

On May 29, Leung Chun-ying, former chief executive and current vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, in a Facebook post criticized HSBC for not supporting the national security law while making money from China. His post was followed by a series of criticisms against HSBC by the Chinese media.

On Thursday, Peter Wong Tung-shun, a group general manager of HSBC, said imposing the national security law in Hong Kong was the right move. Standard Chartered also issued a statement expressing its support for the law.

Although it is generous of the UK government to offer more rights to millions of BNO passport holders, it needs a long-term policy to protect those who can’t leave Hong Kong for various reasons, said Martin Lee Chu-ming, former chairman of the Democratic Party.

Since the extradition protests erupted in June 2019, 8,981 people have been arrested. About 1,700 of them are facing criminal charges, including illegal assembly, arson, common assault and possession of weapons. About 5,000 of them are under investigation while about 1,500 have been released.

Of those arrested, 1,970 are college students, about 1,600 are secondary school students, and eight are primary school pupils. Some of these young people are not eligible for BNO passports as they or their parents came to Hong Kong after 1997.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×