BREAKING: UK will increase BNO rights if China pursues Hong Kong security law

The British government has announced that they will increase the rights held by British National (Overseas) passport holders if China pursues imposing a national security law in Hong Kong.

“In relation to BNO passport holders, as you know currently they only have the right to come to the UK for six months. If China continues down this path and implements this national security legislation, we will change that status,” the Foreign Secretary said.

“And we will remove that six-month limit and allow those BNO passport holders to come to the UK and to apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months and that will itself provide a pathway to future citizenship.”

Johnny Patterson, Director of London-based human rights group Hong Kong Watch said: "We have been campaigning for the UK to take the rights of HKers and BNOs seriously since we launched. A long way to go but this a momentous step.

The imposition of National Security laws in Hong Kong by Beijing are a flagrant violation of the Joint Declaration and warrant this type of robust response. It is also notably an unprecedented statement by the British government that the Joint Declaration has been breached.

I hope this will be an important first step by the UK Government in robustly standing up for the Joint Declaration with international partners.

If things deteriorate further, the UK will need to consider extending the scheme beyond 12 months, up to and including right of abode, and encourage other international partners to create a lifeboat scheme to ensure all Hong Kongers, including those born after 1997, have a lifeline."