Hong Kong citizens to be offered UK rights amid new 'Orwellian' Chinese national security law

The Prime Minister today accused Beijing of violating the former British colony’s degree of autonomy by imposing a much-criticised national security law on the territory.

He told MPs he would introduce a new route for nearly three million people with British national (overseas) (BNO) status to apply for visas to live and work in the UK and apply for citizenship.

Mr Johnson accused China of breaching the Sino-British Joint Declaration that aimed to smooth the transition when the territory was handed back to China in 1997.

Taking effect on Tuesday night, the security law makes activities deemed subversive or secessionist punishable by imprisonment, and is seen as targeting anti-government demonstrators.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson told the Commons: “The enactment and imposition of this national security law constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

“It violates Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and is in direct conflict with Hong Kong Basic Law.

“We made clear that if China continues down this path we would introduce a new route for those with British national (overseas) status to enter the UK, granting them limited leave to remain, with the ability to live and work in the UK and thereafter to apply for citizenship – and that is precisely what we will do.”

Mr Johnson’s commitment came after Hong Kong police made their first arrests under the new law, including one person said to have displayed a sign with the Union flag which called for Hong Kong’s independence.

The last British governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten, told the BBC: “The law is even worse than I expected.

“It is Orwellian stuff.

“But, it does go wider and further than anybody had feared.

“It appears to cover people who aren’t Chinese citizens, or Hong Kong citizens. It appears to have an extra-territorial aspect as well.

“Heaven knows how it will affect the ability of journalists to report what’s happening in Hong Kong.

“It’s absolutely awful.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Beijing of a “grave and deeply disturbing” breach of the treaty which “threatens the strangulation” of Hong Kongs’s freedoms.

He told MPs the “bespoke” new arrangement to be implemented in the coming months would grant BNOs five years’ limited leave to remain in the UK with the ability to live and work.

They would then be eligible to apply for settled status and would be able to apply for citizenship after 12 months with that status.

He said there would be no quotas on numbers. As of February, there were nearly 350,000 BNO passport holders, while the Government estimates there are around 2.9 million BNOs living in Hong Kong.

More than 70 arrests were made in Hong Kong on Wednesday, which marked 23 years since the handover.

Responding to a question from Labour MP for Rotherham Sarah Champion about human rights, Mr Raab said: “We’re obviously deeply concerned about all aspects of this national security legislation and we’ll do everything we can to encourage the Chinese government to think again. I think we need to be realistic about it.”

He added: “I think the offer we’ve made is right given the responsibilities that we’ve made. Clearly we’re concerned more broadly about residents of Hong Kong and that’s a conversation that we rightly are having with our wider international partners.”

Mr Johnson is under pressure from across the political spectrum to take a firmer stance against Beijing, including over the role of Chinese firm Huawei in the UK’s 5G network.

He was also facing calls to act over the breach of the 1985 Sino-British Joint Declaration, the legally binding agreement to give Hong Kong a high level of autonomy for at least 50 years.

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the move for BNOs and called for the UK to lead an inquiry into “police brutality” in Hong Kong.

Mr Raab said Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Simon McDonald would be summoning the Chinese ambassador to the UK to underline objections to the legislation.