TNAG-1084-FCO40-1334-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 76

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306

Mr Donald

CONFIDENTIAL

NATIONALITY BILL HONG KONG

Hirsiz zwolle

Y

2. 1 JUL 1981

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

мо

PA

10. 51

REGG RY

Acton Taken

921.7. / Parr 2115 यात्र

1.

I spoke to Mr Ford, the Hong Kong Commissioner, on 8 July about the lobbying of peers by the Hong Kong Government Office on this subject. I had in mind particularly the quotation from the House of Lords Report of 22 June (Col, 946) by Lord Mishcon of a passage from a letter from the Hong Kong Government Office. I said that I thought that there was a risk in written lobbying in this way across a wide range of parliamentarians who might quote back what was said in a misleading sense.

2.

Mr Ford took this point very readily. He said that normally he would not write in this way. He pointed out, however, that we had asked the Hong Kong Government Office to try in particular to discourage the Gibraltar lobby and this had been what they had been trying to do. (Comment: This is indeed fair enough. We did ask the Hong Kong Government Office to help in this way and I should probably have made clear that we were not asking them to conduct a written campaign).

3.

Mr Ford went on to ask for our view on the prospects of a motion granting British Citizenship to Gibraltarians passing the Lords. His soundings gave him the impression that it was indeed very likely to be passed. Moreover, he had sensed a strong impression that it might be very difficult for the Government to get such a motion reversed in the Commons and he had even been told that the Government were contemplating giving in to the Gibraltar lobby before a Lords vote.

4.

In these circumstances Mr Ford said that he had discussed with the Governor how the inevitable reaction in Hong Kong to a pro-Gibraltar concession could be held. He thought that it might be possible to get acceptance of a formula on the following lines:

a) change of citizenship status from CBDT to 'British

Dependent Territories Citizen';

b) use in passports of 'British Dependent Territories

Citizen'.

(300

He asked if I could get a preliminary reaction to this idea.

5.

I discussed this on the telephone with Mr Jones in NTD. He pointed out that Mr Ford's impression of the Government attitude on the Gibraltar motion was incorrect and that he knew of no intention by HMG to shift from firm opposition to such a motion. In these circumstances he considered that contingency planning of the type which Hong Kong had in mind would be premature. It would indeed be very dangerous if any idea of this sort were to become public knowledge because the suggestion that a compromise was possible for the other Dependent Territories would give an immediate boost to the Gibraltar lobby.

CONFIDENTIAL

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