Here's my piece in The Telegraph on the UK's decision to honour our commitment and allow Hong Kongers to move to Britain 👇🏾
Hong Kong as we know it has slipped away before our eyes. In the past few weeks, that shining example of freedom – in contrast to Beijing’s authoritarianism – has not only suffered setbacks, but fatal blows. We’ve all witnessed the brutality and excessive force of the region’s police force in response to pro-democracy activists. We’ve all seen the tear gas being deployed, the water cannons employed, rubber bullets fired, and batons used to beat young people fighting for their basic human rights.
As part of the British handover to China in 1997, the Chinese Communist party signed up to the Basic Law – the region’s mini-constitution – under which Hong Kongers’ political, economic and civil liberties are protected. However, as we’ve seen in recent days, the Chinese Communist party has forced through a national security law, and its effects on freedom of speech and assembly have already been seen.
Hong Kong police have been instructed by Beijing to arrest anyone chanting a slogan supporting Hong Kong or Taiwan independence and anyone in possession of a flag or banner promoting Hong Kong or Taiwan independence – and there are reports arrests have already taken place. The punishment for conviction? Life imprisonment, Chinese-style.
The terrifying truth is that the national security law's scope is incredibly far-reaching and risks the independence of Hong Kong’s judiciary and the principle of the rule of law. Indeed, it applies not only to Hong Kongers, but also non-permanent residents and people from outside of Hong Kong. Anyone within the region deemed to be subversive, a terrorist, a separatist, assisting foreign interference or endangering national security could be arrested. This is a chilling development especially when viewed through last year’s pro-democracy protests, for example, when activists were called “terrorists" by the Chinese Communist party and were deemed to be acting on behalf of “US provocateurs”.
The steps taken by Beijing are in violation of China’s own basic law and the UN covenant on civil and political rights – something embedded into the Sino-British joint declaration. Quite simply, it is something that Britain cannot, must not and will not accept. And while it’s true that the UK no longer has any jurisdiction within Hong Kong, we can – and will – take action by offering Hong Kongers a clear route to British citizenship.
The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, has announced in the House of Commons this afternoon that the United Kingdom will proceed to honour our commitment to those holding British National Overseas (BNO) status – and up to 2.5 million are eligible to apply – by creating a bespoke immigration route for those people and their dependants, offering them the right to remain for five years to work and study, followed by the opportunity to apply for settled status and then citizenship. There will be no quotas or limits – this is Global Britain doing its duty and standing up for freedom.
Indeed, there is a high chance that there will be a huge brain drain from the region to the rest of the world, and that’s why the promise to offer Hong Kongers – a highly-educated, highly-skilled group of people – greater residency rights here represents a good start for the Prime Minister’s ambition to build back better and bolder in our recovery from Covid-19.
China’s behaviour in recent months has been an alarming cause for concern. We all saw more reports of the horrific treatment that Uighur Muslims are currently being subjected to – nothing less than state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. And it’s time the West send President Xi a clear message that he cannot do whatever he likes with no consequences. We will act.
And when it comes to Hong Kong, the UK has a particular responsibility as their former colonial rulers. Watching the Foreign Secretary in the House made me feel very proud of this country – of our willingness to step up and be a positive force for good in the world.
Once again, as on so many other occasions, Britain will be the nation that steps up in an hour of darkness, and we will provide the light that Hong Kongers so desperately need. They are our kith and kin, and in lieu of the fact we never gave them a referendum on whether they wanted to be a part of the communist system or not, Global Britain’s courageous leadership will give them that opportunity now by allowing them to vote with their feet. And I suspect they will prove one of Margaret Thatcher’s most famous quotes right: when people are free to choose, they choose freedom.
The original article can be accessed here.
