Government seriously considering bringing forward proposals to amend the BNO scheme to help those born after 1997

In a House of Lords debate late in the evening on 10 February, the UK Government said it would seriously consider bringing forward proposals to amend the BNO scheme to help those born after 1997.

Speaking in a Committee Stage debate at the House of Lords about an amendment to the Nationality and Borders Bill which would allow children who were born on or after 1997 who have BNO parents to access the scheme independently of their parents, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, the Government Whip in the Lords, said:

"However, we have heard concerns raised, and are very sympathetic to the circumstances of children born on or after 1997 with BNO parents."

"We are looking seriously at whether more can be done to support this cohort. I hope this will cheer your Lordships up that we hope to update the House by Report stage."

The debate, led by Lord of Alton of Liverpool, saw the amendment receive support from all sides of the House of Commons including with support from Lord Patten of Barnes, the last Governor of Hong Kong as well as the Liberal Democrat and Labour frontbench.

In a robust speech which whole-heartedly supported the proposals, Lord Patten said:

"There has been a vengeful & comprehensive assault on all the freedoms we associate with an open society ... journalists locked up...anybody who protests locked up...people locked up for wanting to light a candle...the Pillar of Shame ...taken down at dead of night"

Referring to Hong Kong Watch research which shows that 93% of those who are facing protest-related charges are under the age of 25, Lord Patten said:

“"Everyone of my successors as Chief Executive of Hong Kong had a British passport ... and the ones who are being locked up don't"

He continued: "What we've seen in Xinjiang is wicked, what we've seen in Tibet is wicked, what is happening in Hong Kong - the destruction of a free city, one of the great free cities in the world - I think that's wrong and we should say it's wrong"

The full text of the amendment can be found here: https://twitter.com/hk_watch/status/1491701972772298752

The counterpart to the amendment in the Commons had had the support of over 30 Tory backbenchers, led by Damian Green, and supported by IDS, Tom Tugendhat, Jeremy Hunt, Andrew Mitchell, Liam Fox, David Davis and others. It was also supported by all opposition parties.

William Hague used his Times column to back the amendment this week, saying: "Improvements to this scheme can still be made, in particular by creating equivalent rights for those born after 1997 — there are many young people who want to leave Hong Kong even though their parents want to stay, and they should be welcome here.”

Johnny Patterson, Policy Director of Hong Kong Watch says: "The government seriously committing bringing forward proposals to amend the BNO scheme is a vital step which, providing they follow through, will positively support and help the young Hong Kongers most vulnerable to political prosecution and vitally in need of a lifeboat. Now we need them to come forward with substantive proposals which address the real need of young Hong Kongers to have a meaningful pathway to settlement."

英國政府承諾研究修改BNO條款

幫助 1997 年後出生的年輕港人

在昨晚英國上議院的辯論中，英國政府承諾將研究修改 BNO 簽證計劃，以幫助 1997 年後出生的香港人。

在上議院委員會階段就《國籍和邊界法案》的 BNO 修正案辯論中，上議院的政府黨鞭 Epsom的 Andrew Sharpe 勳爵指 :

「我們意識到相關的憂慮，並且非常同情 1997 年或之後出生、父母持有BNO身分的年輕人的情況。」

「我們正在認真研究是否可以做更多的工作來幫助這群年輕港人。我希望這能為各位議員帶來正面訊息，我們亦希望在報告階段向上議院提供最新資訊。」

在香港監察贊助人利物浦的奧爾頓勳爵領導的發言提到，BNO 修正案得到了下議院各方的支持，同時亦獲得前港督彭定康勳爵，以及自由民主黨和工黨的跨黨派支持。

同為香港監察贊助人之一的彭定康勳爵以有力演講表達對 BNO修正案的支持：

「中共對香港自由社會進行了報復性的全面攻擊......記者被囚禁......示威者被囚禁......人們因為想點蠟燭而被囚禁......國殤之柱......在夜深時被拆掉」

彭定康勳爵提到香港監察的研究報告顯示 93% 面臨與示威相關的指控的人士都是 25 歲以下的年輕港人，他說：

「我的每一位繼任者，所有香港行政長官都擁有英國護照......而那些被囚禁的人卻沒有。」

「我們在新疆看到的是邪惡的，我們在西藏看到的是邪惡的，中共破壞香港這個自由偉大的城市是錯誤的。」

在下議院，BNO 修正案得到了超過 30 保守黨議員的支持，由 Damien Green MP 帶領，並得到了 IDS, Tom Tugendhat MP, Jeremy Hunt MP, Andrew Mitchell MP, Liam Fox MP, David Davis MP 和其他國會議員，及所有反對黨的支持。

英國前外交大臣夏偉林勳爵上周於泰晤士報專欄撰文，表達對 BNO 修正案的支持，他說：「英國政府仍然可以對計劃進行改進，特別是給予 1997 年後出生的人同等權利⋯⋯有許多年輕人想離開香港，儘管他們的父母想留在香港，英國亦應該歡迎這些年輕人。」

香港監察政策總監 Johnny Patterson 指：「政府承諾認真研究修改 BNO 簽證計劃是重要的一步，如果修正案最後被採納，將為最大機會受到政治起訴的年輕港人提供救生艇。現在，我們需要政府提出實質性的建議，以滿足年輕港人的真正需要，為他們提供定居途徑。」