Considering the impact of changes to pathways to settlement on our communities
A cross-party group of 26 MPs from across the UK attended a parliamentary roundtable this week to hear directly from those most affected by proposed changes to the UK's immigration settlement rules. The event, hosted by Emily Darlington MP and Luke Taylor MP in partnership with Praxis and the Hong Kong Democracy Council, provided a vital platform for dialogue around the government’s proposed extension of the settlement pathway to 10 years, including the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa scheme.
Held in Portcullis House on Wednesday, the event featured a high-level roundtable session followed by a drop-in briefing for parliamentarians and their teams. The session brought together MPs, peers, frontline service providers, union representatives, Hong Kong diaspora members, and impacted individuals, who shared powerful testimonies about the human, economic, and societal consequences of prolonged temporary immigration status.
Speakers:
Carmen Lau, Senior International Advocacy Associate, Hong Kong Democracy Council
Narmada Thiranagama, National Policy Officer, UNISON
Michelle Lam, Registered Social Worker
MaryAnne Oduntan, Representative from The VOICE
Introduction by Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, Head of Advocacy at Praxis
"Black Bauhinia" Film Screening and Post-Screening Discussion
Black Bauhinia 香港本色 is a documentary to explore Hong Kong’s localist movement and the push for independence—an upheaval that reshaped the city’s political landscape both at home and abroad. Through a collaborative filmmaking approach, Black Bauhinia captures candid, personal reflections on the price of resistance, the sacrifices it demands, and the evolving meaning of “home.”
Speakers: Dr Malte Philipp Kaeding (Director/Co-Writer/Co-Producer; Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Surrey)
Moderator: Dr Ching Kiu Chan (Former Dean of Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Arts and Head of the Department of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University. )
Guest Speakers:
- Dr Wing Sun Law (Former Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Studies, Lingnan University)
- Carmen Lau (Senior International Advocacy Associate at the Hong Kong Democracy Council )
Panel Discussion on Transnational Repression
We were proud to see the panel discussion on transnational repression come together at the U.S. Embassy in London on May 9. The event brought together 80 professionals from government, diplomatic, diaspora, civil society, and academic sectors.
Opening Remarks: Chief Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy London
Moderator: Deputy Spokesperson, U.S. Embassy London
Panelists:
Susan Coughtrie, Director, Foreign Policy Centre
Dr. Andrew Chubb, Richardson Institute, Lancaster University
Simon Cheng, Founder, Hongkongers in Britain
Carmen Lau, Senior International Advocacy Associate, Hong Kong Democracy Council
UK-Hong Kong Relations in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: A Transatlantic Perspective
HKDC hosted our first-ever UK roundtable in Parliament on 6 May, which brought together lawmakers and civil-society representatives to address the growing threat of Beijing’s transnational repression and foreign interference on British soil. Entitled “UK-Hong Kong Relations in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: A Transatlantic Perspective”, the event was sponsored by Calum Miller MP, the Liberal Democrat foreign-affairs spokesperson. Two of his colleagues — Luke Taylor, a Liberal Democrat MP; and Emily Darlington, a Labour MP — also participated in the full two-hour session in Portcullis House.
Moderator: Carmen Lau, Senior International Advocacy Associate, Hong Kong Democracy Council
Speakers:
Jeffrey Ngo, Senior Policy and Research Fellow, Hong Kong Democracy Council
Elaine Pearson, Asia Director,Human Rights Watch
Venita Yeung, Secretariat of the APPG on Hong Kong (Stand With Hong Kong)
Basil Wong, Spokesperson of Power to Hongkongers