On a sunny Monday afternoon in mid-June, political scientist Dr Benson Wong was inserting more than 80 election pamphlets on a Liberal Democrats candidate into the post-boxes of local residents of Woking, a town just half an hour southwest of London by train.
It wasn’t the first time the scholar in his 50s—who moved from Hong Kong nearly three years ago—had volunteered in an election campaign. The former Hong Kong Baptist University scholar had campaigned for the democrats in Hong Kong, but can now only do that in his adopted country.
For the vast majority of the 180,000 Hong Kongers who moved to Britain under the BNO visa scheme started in early 2021, the general election on 4 July will be the first they participate in here. They have various roles in this election, some simply as voters, some trying to influence the election to put Hong Kong on the agenda, and others devoting their time to campaigning for the candidates they believe in.
Although Wong was only offered this labour-intensive task, the last time he did similar campaigning work was for the Legislative Council election in 2016, and he treasured the experience.
“The UK is where the Hong Kong diaspora can truly participate in local politics, unlike other countries where Hong Kongers cannot easily take an active part on the political scene,” Wong told The Hong Konger.
![Hong Kong volunteer posting Liberal Democrats pamphlet](https://i0.wp.com/hongkonger.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSCF6855.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1)
Wong joined the Liberal Democrats in March on the recommendation of Ying Perrett, the first elected local councillor who is on the BNO route, believing that the party has done a lot to help Hong Kongers. He helped campaign in the local elections in May, and was again asked to volunteer for the general election.
MPs from the Liberal Democrats had led the charge in pushing for residency rights for BNO status holders, Wong said. In its manifesto, the Liberal Democrats pledged to continue to fight for BNO passport holders’ rights by closing gaps in the BNO visa scheme. Some Hong Kongers who were born under British rule do not possess BNO status. The party has said it will also extend BNO integration funding for Hong Kongers to integrate in the UK for the duration of the next Parliament.
After Wong dispatched the first batch of pamphlets, he walked to the local Liberal Democrats office near the train station to see what more he could do, and the enthusiastic volunteer was tasked with delivering 200 more pamphlets the next day.
Since most people in Hong Kong live in high-rise apartment buildings, Wong could insert hundreds of pamphlets into centralised mailboxes in each lobby, but in the UK he has to walk much further to go door to door, which helps him to learn more about the area in which he lives.
Many Hong Kongers moved to certain areas of the UK in pursuit of good schools and safety. There are about 25 constituencies in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and other cities that are hotspots for migrating Hong Kongers, according to Carmen Lau, a UK-based former Hong Kong district councillor who is a member of the Vote for Hong Kong 2024 (V4HK) campaign. These newcomers may become a significant minority to swing the election, Lau said.
1/ Successfully launched @V4HK_UK’s survey report at the parliament yesterday, which showed UK HKers are keen voters but yet to have party preferences, while concerning UK’s China policy (in particular transnational repression issue) the most.
Full report: https://t.co/dEzrXwIsO4 pic.twitter.com/VT2ypNAQgt— Carmen Lau 劉珈汶 (@carmenkamanlau) April 25, 2024
“The next five years are very important for formulating policies over China and Hong Kong,” she told The Hong Konger in a phone interview. “Other than helping Hong Kongers understand their civil rights as immigrants, we hope the next government will understand more about the needs of the Hong Kong diaspora through our outreach and casting ballots.”
A survey conducted by V4HK found that Hong Kongers will be passionate voters on 4 July, put more focus on China policy than on domestic issues, and do not have a strong party preference as a whole.
Many expected an election in November, and the decision to hold it in July has severely impacted V4HK’s plans to educate Hong Kong voters and reach out to candidates, Lau said. Nonetheless, they have managed to get more than a dozen candidates to sign the pledge to support Hong Kongers—including two in Sutton, South London, an area popular with Hong Kongers—and have contacted more than 20 others.
Up to 4,500 people have moved from Hong Kong to Sutton since 2021, local community organiser Richard Choi told The Hong Konger. The areas are covered by two constituencies, Sutton & Cheam, and Carshalton & Wallington.
About 70 Hong Kongers attended the hustings at Trinity Church on a rainy Saturday evening to hear candidates from the three major parties vie for Hong Kongers’ support. Attendees quizzed the candidates on their policy on China, for which the candidates stuck to their party lines.
![Candidates speaking at Sutton Hong Kong hustings](https://i0.wp.com/hongkonger.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSCF6827.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1)
Conservative candidate for Sutton & Cheam Tom Drummond said China needed to be held to account and that the country was a risk. Liberal Democrats candidate for Carshalton & Wallington Bobby Dean went further to say China was a threat and that the country should be taken to the international court for its broken promises under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Hersh Thaker, Labour candidate for Carshalton & Wallington, said his party had pledged to conduct an audit of China policy if elected, and that China should be held accountable. But he also said the UK had to work with China on issues such as climate change.
The candidates were also asked how they could make life easier for Hong Kongers in the UK, such as by expanding the BNO visa scheme, and allowing Hong Kongers to use electronic gates at airports and to pay local university fees.
Former veteran Hong Kong lawmaker Lee Wing-tat, a Sutton resident, said the hustings was a valuable event for Hong Kongers ahead of the election. “It was great to see so many Hong Kongers showing up and asking difficult questions,” he told The Hong Konger.
Ms Fung, an elderly Hong Kong migrant, said she had come to similar events asking local campaigners questions. “It was great to let the candidates get to know us,” she said. “The Indian diaspora took time and patience to build its significance in UK politics, and we should do the same.”
![About 70 Hong Kongers attended the hustings in Sutton](https://i0.wp.com/hongkonger.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSCF6836.jpg?resize=1024%2C678&ssl=1)
Hong Kong student Rex Lee, who moved to the UK in 2020 with his family, joined the Labour Party in June 2022, before joining the affiliate group East & South East Asians for Labour. The 19-year-old was too young to participate in elections in Hong Kong, but, since joining Labour, he has been active in the UK’s local political scene and working towards Hong Kongers’ rights.
In this campaign, he has been helping various candidates, and noticed that some were interested in the issues of Hong Kongers even if their constituencies only had a small Hong Kong contingent.
“I see that they have some understanding of Hong Kongers, and showed their concerns. I want to help them campaign because of that,” he told The Hong Konger. “If not for the general election, it may be quite difficult to push for Hong Kong issues within the party as there may not be enough Hong Kongers participating in the party.”
Lee said he understood that as Labour will likely win the election, the party was more vague in its China policy in its manifesto, which said that it “will cooperate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must”. It also said Labour “will stand with and support members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK”.
“[Voters] may not have huge confidence in Labour after reading the manifesto, but we can look at each Labour candidate to review what they have done for Hong Kongers and what they have promised,” Lee said. “There is room for the candidates themselves to do more for Hong Kongers.”
![Hong Kong member of Labour Party canvassing](https://i0.wp.com/hongkonger.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GOnr-3aW8AAnnyD.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1)
Some candidates went the extra mile to appeal to Hong Kongers in their native tongue. Yuan Yang, the Labour candidate for Earley and Woodley, near Reading, an area with a growing Hong Kong population, attended a hustings organised by V4HK and handed out a letter in Cantonese to the audience, which included a personal appeal and explained her policies.
The former Financial Times journalist said her parents, who were academics, moved to the UK after the Tiananmen Massacre when she was four.
“Now, as a result of their efforts, I have the right to stand for election in our vibrant democracy. Many of you have made sacrifices to give your children similar opportunities,” she said in the letter. “My family and I experienced state surveillance and harassment when I was a reporter in Beijing, so I deeply understand the concerns of the Hong Kong community here in the UK.”
Ameet Jogia, the Conservative Party candidate for Hendon in Northwest London, also published a letter in Cantonese to target the new migrants.
![Conservative Party candidate for Hendon Ameet Jogia published a letter to Hong Kong voters written in Cantonese](https://i0.wp.com/hongkonger.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSCF6865.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1)
The former advisor to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recalled his family history, when his parents came to Britain from East Africa as refugees in the 1970s. “I understand what it is like to be forced out of a place you called home. And what it takes to rebuild your life from scratch,” he said in the letter. Furthermore, he also appeared in a YouTube talk show hosted by Hong Kongers.
Jogia spoke to The Hong Konger while handing out pamphlets on a bright Friday afternoon, after canvassing with a team of Hong Kong volunteers. “Hong Kongers are an integral part of this election,” he said. “I want to be a strong voice for Hong Kongers.”
But, although candidates may have the goodwill to reach out to Hong Kongers, they may not necessarily fully understand them. Conservative Party volunteer Mr Chan said that during canvassing he was asked by other campaigners to knock on the doors of Hong Kong people, as they thought it may be seen as a nice gesture. “However, Hong Kongers may find it worrying to have another person of Chinese ethnicity knock on their doors,” said Chan, referring to fear of the Chinese state’s transnational repression operations. “There is still a gap in understanding Hong Kongers’ mindset.”
To political scientist Wong, what matters is that Hong Kongers have the votes that are crucial to swinging some seats. “Very practically, political parties take note of us because we have the vote,” he said. “I hope Hong Kongers can go out to vote in this very first general election for them.”