TNAG-0979-FCO40-1198-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1980 — Page 32

CONFIDENTIAL

B. THE NEW CITIZENSHIPS

The Response to the Green Paper

11. The last Government concluded in the Green Paper that a new scheme of

citizenship should reflect the strength of the connection which various

groups of people have with the United Kingdom* in the world today; they

thought there should be a more meaningful citizenship for those who have close

links with the United Kingdom (and who could be expected to identify them-

selves with British society). They proposed that those holding this new

citizenship should be known as British Citizens. The remaining Citizens of

the United Kingdom and Colonies should become British Overseas Citizens. These

would include people connected with existing colonies and those who, when

previous colonies, protectorates, etc became independent, retained our

citizenship; as well as those who have become Citizens of the United Kingdom

and Colonies in other ways.

12. In response to the Green Paper there was general support for the idea of two citizenships, although a few correspondents advocated a single British

Citizenship with a righ fo entry to the United Kingdom for everyone who is at

present a Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Others were in favour

of spearate citizenships for individual dependencies.

13. The letters express some differing opinions as to where the boundaries of British Citizenship should be drawn. There was, for example, appreciable

support for the view that those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies overseas who have no ties with or right of entry into the United Kingdom or an existing dependency usually referred to as United Kingdom passport holders

(UKPH) should become British Citizens with a right of entry into the

United Kingdom rather than British Overseas Citizens with no such right.

The Government's View

14. The Government have given very careful consideration to these questions. They agree with their predecessors that the Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colories should disappear altogether, and that everyone holding it at the time of coming into force of the new legislation should acquire a new citizenship; no one should be left without one. They agree also that there

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In this paper references to the United Kingdom include references to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

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