Government ready for 100 per cent increase in Hong Kong citizens coming to UK

7 min readNov 28, 2020

The Government is preparing for a 100 per cent increase in the number of Hong Kong citizens coming to Britain after Boris Johnson offered up to three million residents sanctuary.

The Prime Minister said in July that Hong Kong’s freedoms were being violated by a new security law and those affected would be offered the chance to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship.

The Foreign Office estimated that 200,000 people would move from Hong Kong to the UK, but a leaked internal briefing paper warned of a “rapid rise in the issue of British National (Overseas) passports since June”.

BN(O) passport holders in Hong Kong were granted special status in the 1980s but currently have restricted rights and are only entitled to visa-free access to the UK for six months.

Under the Government’s plans, all BN(O)s and their dependents will be given the right to remain in the UK, including the right to work and study, for five years. They will be able to apply for settled status and, after a further year, seek citizenship.

In February, there were 349,881 BN(O) passport holders in Hong Kong. By August 2020, there were over 400,000 live passports in circulation and more than 200,000 passport applications waiting to be processed.

The document added: “The Home Office predicts the number of BN(O) passport holders is likely to rise to 733,000 by the end of 2020.” This would amount to a rise of 110 per cent since February.

A Government spokesman said: “In recognition of our moral and historic commitment to British National (Overseas) citizens in Hong Kong, we will introduce a bespoke immigration route with a path to full British citizenship. A BN(O) passport is not required to apply.”

Donald Trump
Photo illustration Yahoo News; photos Kevin DietschUPIBloomberg via Getty Images AP
But Eli Lake a columnist for Bloomberg View who has been one the most aggreive critics of the government’s handling of the investigation into Trump and Ruia and has covered the matter as extensively as anyone said that while there was a “scandal” in how the FBI conducted parts of its investigation there was not a “deep state conspiracy
Trump loyalist pushed out of White House now leading a shakeup at the Pentagon
Sean D Naylor
Sean D Naylor·National Security Correspondent
Wed November 25 2020 9:57 PM GMT+6·9 min read
A controversial former White House official is helping the Trump administration use its waning days to carry out a contentious reorganization that gives the Pentagon’s civilian leadership greater control over US Special Operations Command

The overhaul comes four years after Congress directed the Pentagon to give civilians more authority over special operations forces and shortly after President Trump appointed Christopher Miller to replace Mark Esper who was fired by tweet on Nov 9 A retired Special Forces colonel Miller had worked to revamp civilian oversight over special operations forces in a previous Pentagon job

A driving force behind the current initiative is Ezra Cohen a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer who has held several national security positions during the Trump administration and is now the acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and lowintensity conflict or SO/LIC

The appointment of Cohen as the acting assistant secretary was a major factor behind the decision to implement the congressional legislation “Ezra was critical” said a senior Pentagon official “We needed fresh eyes and we needed fresh energy” Miller and Cohen had a “melding of the minds” when it came to the need to make the changes before the end of the Trump administration the senior Pentagon official said

Cohen who used to go by CohenWatnick was hired in early 2017 for a spot on the National Security Council staff by Trump’s first national security adviser retired Army Lt Gen Michael Flynn He was removed in August 2017 by Flynn’s successor Army Lt Gen HR McMaster

“The FBI is supposed to be the gatekeeper We trust them to stay out of our politics and to be the Boy Scouts in all of this And that’s where I think that there was a huge problem” Lake said in an interview on “The Long Game” a Yahoo News podcast “Now I’m open to the argument that they didn’t know what the hell was going on And they’re looking at some of the things that Trump was saying and they were freaked out and they’re human beings just like the rest of us”

But Lake said of those who think Trump is right not to concede “Why would you then say ‘Well you guys did it and we thought it was bad So now we’re doing the thing that we thought was bad’”

And he dismied the idea that the questioning by some prominent Democrats of Trump’s legitimacy after he was elected is in any way comparable to a sitting president refusing to concede after an election result in which he was clearly defeated

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Florida governor Ron DeSantis accused of ‘killing spree’ after extending ban on cities from imposing own mask mandates
James Crump
Fri November 27 2020 1205 AM GMT+6·2 min read
Florida governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the Donald Trump’s make America great victory rally at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Florida on 29 October 2020 ((EPA))
Florida governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the Donald Trump’s make America great victory rally at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Florida on 29 October 2020 ((EPA))
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been accused of overseeing a “killing spree” after he extended a ban on cities in the state imposing their own mask mandates

On Wednesday Mr DeSantis extended an executive order iued in September which prevented local governments from fining residents who refused to wear face masks or from closing restaurants not complying with coronavirus measures

The decision on 25 September prompted the start of the state’s third phase of pandemic measures which allowed restaurants and bars to open at 100 per cent capacity

Florida Democratic officials criticised the governor for the extension of the executive order on Wednesday amid a spike in cases in the state

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Chris King the 2018 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor quote tweeted a local news story about the decision adding “Alternate headline Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Continues Killing Spree”
Judge reduces prison sentence for former Alabama speaker
KIM CHANDLER
Thu, November 26, 2020, 2:55 AM GMT+6·2 min read
FILE — This June 9, 2016 file photo shows Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard answering questions from Deputy Attorney General Matt Hart during his trial in Opelika, Ala. Former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard has been moved to a state prison from a county jail to serve time for his ethics convictions, records showed Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020 (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP, Pool, file)
Convicted Speaker Prison
FILE — This June 9, 2016 file photo shows Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard answering questions from Deputy Attorney General Matt Hart during his trial in Opelika, Ala. Former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard has been moved to a state prison from a county jail to serve time for his ethics convictions, records showed Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020 (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP, Pool, file)
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday slashed former House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s prison sentence from four years to 28 months, significantly reducing the time the once-powerful Republican will spend behind bars for an ethics conviction.

Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker reduced Hubbard’s sentence at the request of defense attorneys after part of his conviction was overturned earlier this year. In his order, Walker noted that Hubbard was convicted of 12 felonies when he handed down the four-year sentence, but that six counts were reversed on appeal.

The action was met with swift criticism from Alabama’s attorney general and praise from Hubbard’s attorney who had argued a four-year sentence was too harsh for the reduced conviction.

“While we were hoping for a more substantial reduction of sentence, we welcome this decision. We are grateful for Judge Walker’s recognition of the issues that prompted his action today,” attorney Lance Bell said in a statement.

Attorney General Steve Marshall expressed disappointment in the sentence reduction.

“Mr. Hubbard was convicted of the intentional violation of Alabama’s ethics laws, the same laws he championed in the legislature only later to brazenly disregard for his personal enrichment,” Marshall said in a statement.

“Even as he sits in state prison as a six-time felon, Mike Hubbard continues to deny any guilt or offer any remorse for his actions in violation of the law. Reducing his original four-year sentence sends precisely the wrong message to would-be violators of Alabama’s ethics laws.”

A jury in 2016 convicted Hubbard of violating the state ethics law, including using his public office for personal financial gain. Prosecutors accused Hubbard of leveraging his powerful public office to obtain clients and investments for his businesses, violating the prohibition against giving a “thing of value” to an elected official. His defense maintained the contracts were legitimate work and unrelated to his position as House speaker.

Government ready for 100 per cent increase in Hong Kong citizens coming to UK

Written by md sobuj