Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent alleged assault on Hong Kong protestors by Chinese activists in Southampton, what assessment they have made of the provisions in place to protect people from Hong Kong who have moved to the UK from (1) physical, and (2) non-physical, intimidation from mainland Chinese individuals and groups.

It would not be appropriate to comment on individual cases. As you would expect, we continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously.

Through our world class police forces and the agencies that work with them, we take a proactive approach to protecting individuals and communities from all manner of threats. All at-risk communities should remain alert but not alarmed, and report incidents or suspicious activity through to the Police.

Home Office officials work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) (British National Overseas) status and other Hongkongers.

In April 2021, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities launched the UK-wide Welcome Programme to support BN(O) status holders.

The Programme includes:

• funding for local authorities in England to provide English language and destitution support,
• establishing 12 virtual Welcome Hubs across the UK,
• funding for organisations to deliver UK-wide and regional projects,
• a comprehensive Welcome Pack on GOV.UK which advises new arrivals on how to settle into life in the UK.

More widely, The Security Minister is leading work to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from foreign interference through the Government's Defending Democracy Taskforce. A key priority for the Taskforce is to review the UK’s approach to transnational repression (foreign interference in communities) to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement. Further, the National Security Bill, now in its final stages, represents the biggest overhaul of state threats legislation in a generation, and will drastically improve our tools to deal with the full range of state threat activity. The Bill contains provisions that will leave those seeking to coerce, including through threats of violence, for, or with the intention to benefit, a foreign state liable to prosecution in a way that they currently are not.