Nearly half of Britons would let Hongkongers with British passports live in UK, survey finds
- Calls for BN (O)-holding Hongkongers to receive the right of abode have been rising in Britain amid the city’s increasing violence from protesters and police
- The survey found that only one in five people opposed granting the right of abode to all BN (O) passport holders, while 45 per cent supported the idea
Nearly half of Britons support the idea of allowing Hongkongers holding British National (Overseas) passports to live in Britain, according to the first survey of its kind.
The results came after the British Home Office was reportedly blocked by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab from introducing an initiative to grant further rights to these Hongkongers.
Calls for BN (O)-holding Hongkongers to be given the right of abode have been rising in Britain as the city sees increasing violence from protesters and police after anti-government protests broke out in June.
“The British public have sent a clear message that it is time for us to step up and do our duty by extending right of abode to BN (O) passport holders,” said Johnny Patterson, director of the British-based Hong Kong Watch group, which commissioned the survey along with Friends of Hong Kong.
The survey found that only one in five people opposed granting the right of abode to all BN (O) passport holders, while 45 per cent supported the idea.
The support rate was even higher – at 49 per cent – for those aged over 55, a segment of the population with more vivid memories of the former British colony’s 1997 handover to China.