Britain ready to welcome Hong Kong refugees

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The revelation follows moves by China to introduce a resolution that would bypass local law and, in effect, end its special, autonomous status. The move by Beijing follows months of pro-democracy protests against the communist regime's strengthening grip on the city. China is now pushing for an "improvement" in the Basic Law that defines ties between Hong Kong and Beijing. It could include a controversial national security law that seeks to ban "treason, secession, sedition and subversion".

That could be passed without consulting the Hong Kong legislature and would mark a fundamental change in how Hong Kong is run.

But the Sunday Express has learnt that at a meeting earlier this year at the Prime Minister's official country residence, Chequers, Mr Johnson told MPs that he could be prepared to give Hong Kong citizens refuge.

It is unclear if this will include just the 315,000 who hold a British National (Overseas) passport and their extended families, or the 7.5 million population - most of whom had the passport until 1997.

That passport allows visa-free travel to the UK but not residency. The proposal is that refugees from the Chinese would get full passports.

The meeting at Chequers saw unanimous support for the move. It is similar to the campaign to provide full citizenship to Ugandan Asians in the 1970s, when they were persecuted by dictator Idi Amin. One of the families to come over then was that of Home Secretary Priti Patel.