Hong Kongers wave British National Overseas passports, a symbol of rights which they believe are being eroded by Communist China

Introduced in the last decade of British colonial rule over Hong Kong, the British National Overseas (BNO) passport, with its burgundy cover and coat of arms, looks like a regular British passport.

The BNO passport grants its holder the right to be married under British law, and to join the British Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force, as well as vote or stand for election in their constituency of residence. But there is one controversial exception. It does not grant the owner the automatic right to live and work in the UK.

As a result, some Hong Kongers feel that Britain has left them behind, even as China continues to diminish the rights and freedoms enjoyed by those in Hong Kong as a part of the “one country, two systems” policy. Even so, as the tension and violence of Hong Kong’s prodemocracy protests continues to escalate, some see their status as a BNO passport holder as a possible escape route to the UK, provided they are able to receive a visa or work permit.

“If people from the EU leave the UK because of Brexit, we can fill in the labour market,” Rex Wong, 42 – a protester whose entire family of four holds BNO passports – told The Daily Telegraph. “Hong Kong people are hard-working, intelligent. We can help make the UK better.”

Under British rule, Hong Kong was handed the British legal system and rule of law, which is a symbol of pride for the city compared with the legal system of mainland China.