British politics is taking a hard turn, and it spells trouble for Hong Kong people who’ve moved to the UK.
On September 22, Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right “Reform UK” party, dropped a bombshell immigration plan. He wants to scrap the existing permanent residency system, calling it “highly unfair.” Instead, he argues everyone should only get visas that need renewal every five years, with citizenship possible only after seven years of living in the UK.
The Reform Party’s Hardcore Immigration Plan
Farage’s proposal is brutal: to renew a visa, applicants must earn £60,000 annually — that’s a 44% hike from the current £42,000 threshold for skilled workers. No social welfare benefits, NHS users will pay hefty fees, and only those with advanced English language ability will qualify. Family reunifications? Strictly limited.
When a Guardian reporter asked if this hits Hong Kong BN(O) migrants on the “5+1” scheme, Farage didn’t hesitate. Hong Kong people are definitely caught in this net. He even coldly declared at the press conference, “None of them will get permanent residency—thank you.”
Europe's sweeping anti-immigrant mood isn’t sparing the UK. After Labour came to power, they already proposed extending the BN(O) “5+1” rule to “10+1,” though they’ve been vague if this targets Hong Kong BN(O) migrants specifically. But the Reform UK Party is very open and clear about its position.
This political shakeup means the worst is yet to come for Hong Kong people in the UK.
Parties Battle to Outdo Each Other on Immigration Control
Political parties know voters hate immigrants. Now, they’re racing to outdo each other with even tougher anti-immigration schemes. The Conservatives are on the back foot, blamed for the surge under Boris Johnson’s era. Farage slammed Johnson’s tenure as “the worst betrayal of democratic will in living memory.”
Under Johnson, the UK took in huge numbers of immigrants from Hong Kong, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. Farage wants to kick out these roughly 800,000 mostly young and low-skilled migrants. Having launched this aggressive anti-immigrant proposal, other UK parties are expected to follow with harsher policies — and Hong Kong BN(O) holders are squarely in the crosshairs.
Europe is seeing a far-right surge: Italy’s Giorgia Meloni leads with her Brothers of Italy party; Marine Le Pen’s National Rally topped France’s first-round parliamentary vote last year; Germany’s AfD grabbed nearly 20% in this year’s vote.
The UK no longer looks immune. A recent Economist poll shows Reform UK leading at 31%, ahead of Labour’s 21%, Conservatives’ 17%, and Lib Dems’ 13%.
Reform UK’s Meteoric Rise
In 2024’s election, Labour smashed it with 411 seats, Conservatives fell to 121, and Reform UK barely registered with 5 seats. Fast forward one year, and reformers are polling first.
This far-right tsunami started in the US and is crashing over the West with fierce anti-immigrant vibes. Barriers to residency and citizenship are just the start. Social hostility toward immigrants like Hong Kong people in the UK is bound to grow.
The message is clear: if the Reform UK takes power, Hong Kong BNO holders have a tough road ahead — best be prepared.
Lo Wing-hung
Bastille Commentary
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Trump's Venezuela play just gave Western progressives a masterclass in American hypocrisy.
Steve Bannon, Trump's longtime strategist, told The New York Times the Venezuela assault—arresting President Nicolás Maduro and all—stands as this administration's most consequential foreign policy move. Meticulously planned, Bannon concedes, but woefully short on ideological groundwork. "The lack of framing of the message on a potential occupation has the base bewildered, if not angry".
Trump's rationale for nabbing Maduro across international borders was drug trafficking. But here's the tell: once Maduro was in custody, Trump stopped talking about Venezuelan cocaine and started obsessing over Venezuelan oil. He's demanding US oil companies march back into Venezuela to seize control of local assets. And that's not all—he wants Venezuela to cough up 50 million barrels of oil.
Trump's Colonial Playbook
On January 6, Trump unveiled his blueprint: Venezuela releases 50 million barrels to the United States. America sells it. Market watchers peg the haul at roughly $2.8 billion.
Trump then gleefully mapped out how the proceeds would flow—only to "American-made products." He posted on social media: "These purchases will include, among other things, American Agricultural Products, and American Made Medicines, Medical Devices, and Equipment to improve Venezuela's Electric Grid and Energy Facilities. In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner."
Trump's demand for 50 million barrels up front—not a massive volume, granted—betrays a blunt short-term goal. It's the classic imperial playbook: invade a colony, plunder its resources, sail home and parade the spoils before your supporters to justify the whole bloody enterprise. Trump isn't chasing the ideological legitimacy Bannon mentioned. He's after something more primal: material legitimacy. Show me a colonial power that didn't loot minerals or enslave labor from its colonies.
America's Western allies were silent as the grave when faced with such dictatorial swagger. But pivot the camera to Hong Kong, and suddenly they're all righteous indignation.
The British Double Standard
Recently, former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith penned an op-ed in The Times, slamming the British government for doing "nothing but issuing 'strongly worded' statements in the face of Beijing's trampling of the Sino-British Joint Declaration." He's calling on the Labour government to sanction the three designated National Security Law judges who convicted Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai of "collusion with foreign forces"—to prove that "Hong Kong's judiciary has become a farce." Duncan Smith even vowed to raise the matter for debate in the British Parliament.
The Conservatives sound principled enough. But think it through, and it's laughable. The whole world's talking about Maduro right now—nobody's talking about Jimmy Lai anymore.
Maduro appeared in US Federal Court in New York on January 6. The United States has trampled international law and the UN Charter—that's what Duncan Smith would call "American justice becoming a farce." If Duncan Smith's so formidable, why doesn't he demand the British government sanction Trump? Why not sanction the New York Federal Court judges? If he wants to launch a parliamentary debate, why not urgently debate America's crimes in invading Venezuela? Duncan Smith's double standards are chilling.
Silence on Venezuela
After the Venezuela incident, I searched extensively online—even deployed AI—but couldn't find a single comment from former Conservative leader Duncan Smith on America's invasion of Venezuela. Duncan Smith has retreated into his shell.
Duncan Smith is fiercely pro-US. When Trump visited the UK last September amid considerable domestic criticism, the opposition Conservatives didn't just stay quiet—Duncan Smith actively defended him, calling Trump's unprecedented second UK visit critically important: "if the countries that believe in freedom, democracy and the rule of law don’t unite, the totalitarian states… will dominate the world and it will be a terrible world to live in."
The irony cuts deep now. America forcibly seizes another country's oil and minerals—Trump is fundamentally an imperialist dictator. With Duncan Smith's enthusiastic backing, this totalitarian Trump has truly won.
Incidentally, the Conservative Party has completely destroyed itself. The party commanding the highest support in Britain today is the far-right Reform Party. As early as last May, YouGov polling showed Reform Party capturing the highest support at 29%, the governing Labour Party languishing at just 22%, the Liberal Democrats ranking third at 17%, and the Conservatives degraded to fourth place with 16% support.
The gutless Conservative Party members fear offending Trump, while voters flock to the Reform Party instead. The Conservatives' posturing shows they've become petty villains for nothing.
Lo Wing-hung
