TNAG-1193-FCO40-1495-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 103

CONFIDENTIAL

GRS 246

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 300100Z

FM FCO 291845Z NOV 82

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1007 OF 29 NOVEMBER

39116 2

HKK340/

AF10/12

250

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM CLIFT

YOUR TELNO 1400 BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT

1.

по

huppi3

10/12

1. FACSIMILE OF LORD ELTON'S STATEMENT IN THE LORDS ON BEHALF

OF HMG IS BEING SENT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE REFER

ENQUIRERS TO THIS.

2. IN EXCO TOMORROW PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING

LINE BASED ON POINTS IN LORD ELTON'S SPEECH. HE RECALLED THAT

THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT IN NO WAY WEAKENS THE CONSTITUTIONAL

RELATIONSHIP OF THE UNITED KINGDOM WITH ANY DEPENDENT TERRITORY

AND HE REPEATED THE SPECIFIC ASSURANCE IN PARAGRAPH 16 OF THE

WHITE PAPER PUBLISHED IN JULY 1980 TO THAT EFFECT. IN THE

CIRCUMSTANCES HMG SAW THE PROPOSED FALKLAND ISLANDS AMENDMENT

AS LOGICALLY UNNECESSARY.

THEY RECOGNISED THAT IT COULD ESTABLISH A MISLEADING

PRECEDENT BY MAKING ONE CATEGORY OF FORMER CUKCS A SPECIAL CASE.

HOWEVER, HMG ALSO RECOGNISED THAT LOGIC WAS NOT ENOUGH IN THE

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDERS.

*

SINCE THE HOUSE MIGHT CONSIDER THAT THERE WAS A WHOLLY

EXCEPTIONAL CASE THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT (NOT) ASK THE HOUSE TO

RESIST THE BILL. SINCE IT CONTAINED A NUMBER OF TECHNICAL

WEAKNESSES THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PREPARED TO GIVE HELP WITH

THE DRAFTING OF AMENDMENTS IF IT WERE GIVEN A SECOND READING.

3. IF PRESSED YOU COULD OF COURSE ASSURE MEMBERS THAT MINISTERS

WERE FULLY BRIEFED ON IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG AND OTHER

TERRITORIES. IT WAS PURELY THE EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH

DECIDED THE ISSUE.

PYM

LIMITED HKE ID NTD FED

MRDONALD

1

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