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.
What Say You?
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
London just dropped a classic good news, bad news bombshell on Hong Kong BNO holders.
The headline grabber? The path to permanent residency remains a five-year trek—the so-called "5+1" deal is safe. But here is the kicker: to actually cross the finish line, applicants must now survive a gauntlet of "extra spicy" new conditions. We are talking tougher English tests, strict income floors, and proof of continuous tax payments.
Think of it as a mouthful of sugar followed by a shot of hot chili. The anxiety on the ground is palpable. The South China Morning Post cites a survey warning that nearly 30 percent of these migrants do not meet the new bar. Unless London blinks, thousands will be screened out at the doorstep, leaving them empty-handed after five wasted years. Agitated Hong Kong people in UK are scrambling with petitions, but make no mistake: for the British government, utility is the only metric that matters.
Survey Warning: 30% of Hong Kong BNO holders fall short of London's new "permanent residence" rules and face being screened out at the finish line.
Here is the bait-and-switch: getting the visa was easy, but staying is going to cost you. Previously, income checks were nonexistent. Now, the rules have tightened: you need a fixed job, a tax record, and an annual haul of at least £12,570 (HK$128,000) for three to five years. That might sound low, but for many Hong Kong BNO holders, it is a high wall to climb. Not everyone is punching the clock in a full-time gig.
The SCMP-cited survey breaks it down. Of the 690 interviewed: 19 percent are housewives, 8 percent are retirees, and 3 percent are students. That is 30 percent of the total population right there. No job, no income, no tax record. If the Home Office sticks to the letter of the law, this entire group is going to fail the assessment cold.
Even the working class is standing on shaky ground. The data shows that only 42 percent of respondents have full-time jobs, while another 20 percent are scraping by with part-time work. Do the math: stable, salaried Hong Kong BNO holders are not the majority. Many are hustling in "casual work," where income fluctuates wildly and often falls short of the new government mandates.
Speak to anyone on the ground, and they will tell you the housewife trap is real. Families move over with young kids, find they can’t hire help, and suddenly the mother is housebound. It is a forced choice. Even if they pick up part-time shifts to help make ends meet, those meager earnings inevitably miss the strict income targets London has set.
The Wealth Illusion
Then there are the cash-rich, income-poor migrants. These are the folks who sold their Hong Kong properties at the peak, sitting on millions of dollars to fund a quiet life in the UK. Some are retired; others just don’t need to work. They are slowly "pinching" their savings to get by. But under these new rules, their wealth is irrelevant. No employment income means no tax record. And no tax record means they are not getting past the gatekeepers.
Smart professionals are also about to get caught in their own loop. I know of Hong Kong BNO holders who aren't unemployed—they are just working "on the sly," taking remote gigs from Hong Kong to dodge UK taxes. It used to be a clever way to save a buck. Now, it is a liability. Without a UK tax footprint or local employment record, they have technically earned nothing in the eyes of the Home Office. When application time comes, they are going to face big trouble.
The education gap is another ticking time bomb. The survey reveals that 16 percent of respondents only have a secondary education. Let’s be realistic: hitting the B2 English level—roughly A-Level standard—is a pipe dream for this demographic. This single hurdle is going to cull a significant herd of applicants before they even get started.
The Language Barrier: With 16% of surveyed migrants holding only secondary education, the "B2 barrier" for English proficiency is set to trigger a wave of failures.
Panic is setting in as families realize they might be kicked out at the last minute. Distressed and confused, Hong Kong BNO holders are mobilizing. A petition demanding the government lower the bar—keeping the easier B1 English requirement and scrapping the income test—has already gathered 28,000 signatures. They are even planning a protest march for December 6.
Utility Over Humanity
London, sensing the rising heat, offered a vague olive branch yesterday. Officials claim the consultation is not yet finalized and teased a potential transitional arrangement. But do not hold your breath—nobody bothered to explain what that transition actually looks like.
Let’s call this what it is: habitual duplicity. When the chips are down, the British government puts utility first. A sharp analysis in Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao hit the nail on the head: by piling on these conditions, London is downgrading the BNO route from a special humanitarian channel to a high-threshold, ordinary immigration path. It has morphed into a policy demanding economic tribute, not a sanctuary.
The writing is on the wall. Don't expect them to lower the bar for permanent residence. Smart Hong Kong people should know better than to have high expectations.
Lai Ting-yiu
