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Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]

My Lords, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the Government’s amendments, which were tabled following the debates in Committee. In making this proposal, I recognise the tireless campaigning on this issue by the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, with whom lies much of the credit for this change. In many ways, I should leave it to him to speak about the effect. However, I shall speak briefly to the proposals. These amendments provide a new route to British citizenship for certain persons connected with Hong Kong who would be stateless but for having the status of British national (overseas). Section 4B currently provides a registration route for British overseas citizens, British subjects and British protected persons who do not hold any other citizenship or nationality and have not done anything since 4 July 2002 that would result in the loss of any other citizenship. These clauses extend Section 4B to include BNOs and will thus provide a new route to British citizenship for certain persons connected with Hong Kong who would be stateless but for having the status of BNO. This new clause provides for stateless BNOs who, unlike those who can apply under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997, do not have an alternative route to Section 4B. The Government recognise that such persons are at a disadvantage and therefore propose to give them a route to British citizenship through this amendment. I beg to move.