London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Racism in Britain should worry BN(O) holders fleeing Hong Kong

Racism in Britain should worry BN(O) holders fleeing Hong Kong

With anti-Asian attacks rising around the world, racism is a concern for those thinking of moving to the UK. Without working to make Britain more inclusive, the socio-economic discontent that led to Brexit could target settlers from Hong Kong.
Since the end of January, holders of British National (Overseas) passports have been eligible to apply for settlement in the UK as a pathway to British citizenship. An estimated 600,000 Hongkongers could emigrate to Britain in the next two years, according to a survey by the Hongkongers in Britain association.

While the diplomatic row over Britain’s announcement of the BN(O) scheme has been the centre of much media attention, potential social problems that could arise from an influx of Hongkongers into Britain have not been sufficiently discussed. Put simply, the scheme could introduce a sizeable ethnic minority group into a white-majority society. With anti-Asian attacks rising around the world, the problem of racism is a concern for those considering moving to the UK.

Imarn Ayton, founder of the Black Reformist Movement, wrote in GQ magazine that racism in the UK had transitioned from being overt to covert. Even so, in the recent report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities ordered by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, any suggestion that the UK had a problem with institutional racism and structural bias was categorically dismissed.

The commission instead seems to suggest a wide interpretation of what racism is has contributed to perceptions the UK is institutionally racist. In the commission’s own words, “It is certainly true that the concept of racism has become much more fluid, extending from overt hostility and exclusion to unconscious bias and microaggressions. This is partly because ethnic minorities have higher expectations of equal treatment and, rightly, will not tolerate behaviour that, only a couple of generations ago, would have likely been quietly endured or shrugged off.”

Leaving aside whether the commission’s conclusion is an accurate assessment of racial disparity in the UK, the British government seems to be jumping the gun in attempting to address institutional racism when overt racism is still a serious problem. It is disconcerting that there have been racially motivated attacks on Asian people in the UK triggered by “maskaphobia”.

While the perpetrators of such racial violence are not representative of the British public, the increase of racism against Asians reported in the UK following the coronavirus outbreak is far from reassuring.

Prior to the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, lobbied unsuccessfully for the right of abode to be granted to Hongkongers holding British Dependent Territories passports. Yet, a change in immigration policy does not reverse years of official complicity in legitimising bigoted and xenophobic attitudes in the UK.

Racist attitudes in the UK have often been intertwined with anti-immigration rhetoric. Although there is support for the BN(O) scheme from the British public, it is difficult to overlook the rather complex relationship that Britain has with immigration into the UK, particularly when immigration continues to be a source of public anxiety for some in Britain.

Instead of dispelling myths about immigration borne from ignorance and misinformation, some British politicians have been all too willing to capitalise on them in pursuit of their political agendas. Former prime minister David Cameron’s pledge of “net migration” targets appealed to social panic over immigration, and in the years that followed, public sentiment that immigration had become endemic was seized by Leave campaigners to further their cause in the Brexit referendum.

As Britain continues to come to grips with its post-Brexit identity and what it means to be British, one can only wonder whether the resettlement scheme might be an overzealous political vanity project that might have the unintended consequence of stirring up further anti-Asian sentiment across the UK.

To implement the resettlement policy without taking racism head-on could be tantamount to leaving Hongkongers in the lurch. For instance, the UK has just experienced its worst economic slump in 300 years. In the absence of an official culture dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment, would the unresolved socio-economic discontent that contributed to Brexit be redirected towards settlers from Hong Kong?

In maintaining that “model for other white-majority countries”, the British political elite seems unduly complacent over the treatment of ethnic minorities in the UK.

It is clear that more needs to be done to tackle the deep-seated racism and xenophobia that has permeated Britain’s social fabric for far too long. Until it is, those planning to relocate to Britain should proceed with caution.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×