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Hong KongPolitics

Who are the Hongkongers winning seats on UK local councils? BN(O) migrant scheme paves way for new life in politics for some

  • Andy Ng is first ex-Hong Kong district councillor to be elected to UK local authority, and he hopes other new arrivals will also get involved in politics
  • BN(O) status holder Ying Perrett has also won spot on local council and continues to help Hongkongers struggling with access to schools, finances

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The UK government launched ta bespoke migration pathway in 2021 in response to Beijing imposing the national security law the year before. Photo: Bloomberg
Jeffie Lam
Andy Ng Siu-hong did it thousands of times when running for election in Hong Kong’s district councils – introducing himself with a loudhailer in front of his branded pull-up banners, while waving to residents using the Central–Mid-Levels escalator.
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But these skills were barely put to use in recent months when the 43-year-old set out to win a seat in the UK’s Wokingham Borough Council election as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats.

Loudhailers are frowned upon in the quiet neighbourhood, and the only way to effectively reach out to constituents is by door-knocking.

That didn’t stop Ng, who moved to the country in 2021 and earlier this month became the first former Hong Kong district councillor to win public office in the United Kingdom. Unlike most of the Hongkongers who moved to the country via the British National (Overseas) migration pathway, Ng has British citizenship.

“I want to tell people it would have been no big deal even if I had lost when I decided to run for the election, and I hope to encourage more people to take part now with my victory,” he told the Post.

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“I believe that Hongkongers, after moving to the UK, should not just integrate in the country by going to work and schools, or paying taxes. We should also get engaged in politics.”

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