BNO Dream for Sale? A Fugitive’s £4 Billion Pitch to a Broke Britain

Hong Kong people who relocated to the UK recently had a major scare when the Reform UK party proposed scrapping "permanent residency." It felt like being on a train and suddenly hearing the final station was cancelled, leaving their dream of settling in the UK shattered. Although party leader Nigel Farage later walked it back, clarifying BNO visa holders wouldn't be affected, the future of "permanent residency" remains shaky.
 
Now, a "yellow-camp" think tank has switched gears, dropping the moral arguments and instead "talking money." They claim that if the UK grants BNO holders permanent residency, Britain could rake in £4 billion (around HK$40 billion) in capital by 2029—a very shiny object to dangle in front of a struggling government.

A quick look reveals this think tank was set up by the wanted fugitive Dennis Kwok, with its advisory committee featuring other wanted figures like Kevin Yam and Joseph Lian. The agenda here isn't subtle. But whether a UK government already buckling under immense anti-immigration pressure will fall for this bait is another question entirely.
 
The Moral Card Has Expired

Until now, organizations lobbying for Hong Kong migrants in the UK have all sung the same tune, demanding the Labour government preserve the "5+1" pathway to permanent residency by playing the "moral responsibility" card. Despite the high-minded rhetoric, the government has turned a deaf ear. Why? Because it's caught in a pincer movement: politically, the anti-immigration wave is cresting, and economically, the government is practically bankrupt.
 
As the old saying goes, poverty dulls ambition; moral obligations are a luxury it can no longer afford.
 
The "yellow-camp" think tank, the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI), clearly gets it. Talking morals with the UK government is a dead end. So, it's changed its tack, presenting a cold, hard cost-benefit analysis: The nearly 170,000 Hong Kong people in the UK hold over HK$30 billion (about £3 billion) in their Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) accounts. But since the Hong Kong government doesn't recognize the BNO visa as a basis for permanent departure, they can't legally touch that money.

Fugitive Dennis Kwok's 'think tank' dangles a HK$40 billion carrot. But will a cash-strapped UK bite, or is it just a desperate ploy?

The pitch is simple: if the UK government grants them permanent residency, these accounts can be unfrozen. Combine that with other funds, and the total inflow could hit nearly £4 billion by 2029.

The think tank argues that once BNO holders in the UK get their hands on this cash, most of it will be transferred to Britain and plowed into the financial and property markets. For the UK, this represents a huge, tangible benefit that could give its economy a much-needed shot in the arm.

Who's Really Pulling the Strings?

So what’s the political game here? Before we get into that, let's look at what CSRI really is.
 
Records show that former Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok bolted from Hong Kong in November 2020 and fled to Canada (he holds Canadian citizenship). By May 2023, he popped up in London, grandly announcing the launch of the "China Strategic Risks Institute" (CSRI) in the UK Parliament.
 
From day one, it had already declared its focus on the global impact of China's rising "totalitarianism"—its anti-China stance couldn't be more obvious. Its advisory committee includes other wanted individuals like Kevin Yam, now in Australia, and Joseph Lian, a former director of Stand News who is also a fugitive.
 
With a lineup like that, it's pretty clear what their real game is.

Launched in the UK Parliament, Dennis Kwok's outfit has 'anti-China' written all over it. A think tank in name, a political weapon in reality.

Furthermore, CSRI is cozy with the chaos-sowing group "Hong Kong Watch." This organization has been colluding with hawkish British politicians, ostensibly lobbying Parliament for the BNO "5+1" pathway and urging the government to unfreeze the MPF accounts of Hong Kong migrants. But the real goal is to use these migrants to build an anti-China base and pressure the Labour government to abandon its friendly policy towards China.
 
Looking at CSRI’s background, it’s obvious they’re just using the "think tank" label as a cover. In reality, they are an anti-China political organization aiming to destabilize Hong Kong. The political calculations behind their "objective research" are identical to those of "Hong Kong Watch."
 
A Desperate Gamble?

Trading in their moral high ground for a £4 billion business pitch might look clever, but it's far from certain that the government will bite.
 
First, the UK government's top priority is tackling the ferocious anti-immigration wave, which demands stricter, not looser, policies.
 
That £4 billion is merely a drop in the ocean, and a distant one at that. It won't solve the immediate crisis. To solve its current problems, Britain needs to improve economic and trade relations with China. It's not about to do anything that might antagonize Beijing at this critical stage.
 
This means the long, anxious wait for Hong Kong BNO holders in the UK will drag on, with their future still very much up in the air.

Lai Ting-yiu

What Say You?

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Long after the Black Riots ended, key pan-democrats who stuck around Hong Kong played it safe—low profile, out of headlines. But these same figures kept cozy ties with foreign consular powerbrokers, facts anyone can see from repeated public invitations. On this occasion, Anson Chan, Emily Lau, Alan Leong, and Kenneth Leung showed up as VIPs at the British Consulate. The warmth? It’s no mystery, if you know their backstory.

Reunion at the Consulate: Anson Chan, Emily Lau, Alan Leong, and Kenneth Leung pose at the British King’s birthday luncheon

Raising Questions, Finding Evidence

A friend dropped a telling remark after seeing the photo: British decision-makers groomed Anson Chan for power even before the Handover, and those links never really faded. The relationship is unusually tight—two behind-the-scenes stories make that fact plain. Must be why the British still roll out the red carpet for Chan.

After quitting the government in 2001, Chan inched closer to the opposition and even won a Legislative Council seat. For years, US and UK consuls wined and dined her—plenty of evidence in social media posts and diplomatic cables—to allegedly “discuss strategies” for Hong Kong. It’s not gossip; it’s documented pattern.

When the 2019 unrest exploded, Anson Chan took sides on the so-called “international front.” Prosecutors stated in open court that, behind the scenes, Jimmy Lai directed “Stand With Hong Kong” (SWHK)—led by Andy Chan, Andy Li, and Finn Lau—to carry out international lobbying and publicity campaigns, spending large sums of money.

Court documents further show that Anson Chan wasn’t a bystander: back in 2019, she brought Andy Li to a luncheon with then British Consul Andrew Heyn. Martin Lee, Dennis Kwok, and Charles Mok were also there. The prosecution records are clear—Chan leveraged her foreign contacts to make connections for SWHK, all with Jimmy Lai’s shadow looming in the background.

2019, Behind Closed Doors: Anson Chan sits down with Consul Andrew Heyn

Not Just a “Chat Over Tea”

There’s more. During anti-extradition protests, surveillance and eyewitnesses caught Anson Chan on August 13, 2019, holding secret discussions at a hotel with Andrew Heyn and his aide—documents in hand. That was no idle chat. The British Consulate’s involvement raises eyebrows, especially as staff like Simon Cheng were repeatedly spotted at protest sites. Cheng ran off to the UK, claimed political asylum, and neatly sidestepped questions about his activities.

With the national security law approaching, Chan made a quick exit from politics—claiming “retirement.” She kept out of jail, but her dealings with foreign diplomats never stopped. When the new US Consul General Julie Eadeh met her right on arrival, Beijing protested—an incident widely reported by state outlets and foreign press alike. Now, Chan’s red carpet invite to the British King’s birthday party again stirs scrutiny.

The rest of the guest list tells its own story. Emily Lau, Alan Leong, and Kenneth Leung all made appearances. Notably missing: Martin Lee, once the darling of the British. No explanation given—just another twist in an old game. For the establishment camp, only Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk attended, showing that official ties with the British remain careful and distant.

Looking at these staged reunion snapshots, my friend shakes his head—those glory days are long past. Wise up, he says: the era is over, and flirting with foreign consulates only ended up undermining Hong Kong’s stability. It’s time for these figures to accept reality and leave wishful thinking in the past.