Draft letter from the Prime Minister
Matthew Banks Esq MP
House of Commons
London
SW1 ОАА
Thank you for your letter of 23 November enclosing another
from Mrs F Gorse of 474 Liverpool Road, Birkdale, Southport
about British citizenship for the widows of Hong Kong
servicemen who lost their lives in the service of the Crown.
I can well understand Mr Gorse's feelings about the widows
whose husbands bravely served in the defence of Hong Kong
during the Second World War. Those men made a heroic
contribution to Hong Kong. This has not been forgotten by my
Government.
We have carefully considered the question of British citizenship for this small group of women. There is, however, no provision in our nationality law to grant British citizenship to a person who is not resident in the United
Kingdom. So we do not have the power to grant what they are
asking for. But British Ministers have given assurances that these women can settle in the United Kingdom at any time and
apply for British citizenship in the normal way. We have also made sure that, if any of the war widows want to apply for entry clearance to the United Kingdom, their applications can
be processed quickly.
JOHN MAJOR