TNAG-1085-FCO40-1335-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 174

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(348)

I have seen your letter of 19 August to Ian Gilmour about the Government's response to the provision inserted into the British Nationality Bill in Committee in the Lords on 22 July which would give people from Gibraltar an unqualified entitlement to British citizenship. I had already discussed this with Ian Gilmour, and we are agreed that we must continue to stand firmly against this provision because we believe that all the dependencies should be treated equally. There can be no doubt that special concessions for Gibraltar will lead to pressure for concessions from other dependencies, notably Hong Kong and the Falkland Islands, which we should have to oppose.

In these circumstances, notwithstanding the difficulties to which you refer in your letter, I consider that we must seek to remove the amendment made by the Lords in Committee on Report in the Lords. This will make clear the Government's continuing opposition to the amendment, and the strength of our commitment to its repeal.

The argument for this is, in my view, strengthened by the fact that the provision as it stands is defective in various aspects. It will have to be amended but, if we bring forward or accept amend- ments on Report and make no attempt to remove the provision, then it may well be assumed that the Government is reconciled to the provision whatever we say to the contrary. (If we should fail to secure the removal of the Gibraltar provision on Report, then it would be necessary to make the appropriate amendments on Third Reading; for technical reasons these amendments cannot be brought forward on Report should we again be defeated then on the substantive issue, though the Government spokesman would make clear that if this were to happen some drafting amendments would have to be moved at Third Reading. These amendments cannot be left for the Commons since this would preclude inviting the Commons to disapprove the Lords provision on Gibraltar,

concern

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I am most anxious and I know that Ian Gilmour shares my

that every effort should be made to remove this damaging provision at the earliest possible opportunity. It is vital that the other dependencies are left in no doubt about where the Government stands on this provision. I recognise that to remove the provision on Report will not be easy, but I am convinced that we must seek to achieve this.

We clearly need to discuss this matter as you suggest in your letter of 19 August, and I am therefore asking my office to arrange for us to meet here with Ian Gilmour, Michael Jopling and Bertie Denham as soon as practicable. Copies of this letter go to Ian Gilmour, Michael Jopling, Richard Luce, Francis Pym and Bertie Denham.

Yus im bithi

The Rt. Hon. Loard Soames, CH., PC., GCMG., GCVO., CBE.