CONFIDENTIAL
f.
3.
been relatively quiet, are likely to be made - eg
the telegram from St Helena earlier this week to the Prime Minister pleading for British
citizenship for St Helena.
The mere submission of requests from other dependencies för British citizenship would bely the Government's claims that the CBDT was
introduced broadly.to meet the wishes of
the dependencies. If many dependencies seemed dissatisfied the Government's position would be
very weak.
There would inevitably be increased pressure for concessions from Hong Kong. They are already
pleading for undertakings for Public Servants
and others in the event of trouble (which with
dependants could be half a million people or more) and these claims and others would be even more
difficult to resist.
The conclusion is that any concession for Gibraltar
or the Falkland Islands could have incalculable
consequences for the remainder of the territories and
the Bill as a whole..
4.
murze
and you general cissurances K&C BDTS
I understand from the Home Office that there is no
indication of any desire on the part of their Ministers
to make a concession for Gibraltar of the Falkland
Islands. It is also argued in the FCO that it would be a mistake in Gibraltar domestic political terms to make
a concessions (which would tend to bolster the Leader of
the Opposition). The Home Office derive some comfort at
present from the fact that the Opposition have not so far indicated that they would support British citizenship for
Gibraltar.
5.
A separate minute is being prepared on the question of a citizenship structure that would give separate citizenships for each dependency instead of a collective Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories.
Separate citizenships for the dependencies should not be considered as an alternative that would appease those who
plead for British citizenship for the Falkland Islands or
/Gibraltar
Shira
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