Event report: Conservative Party Conference 2022
Too much attention is paid, in the UK’s immigration debate, to who should be allowed to come here, while too little is said about how we can help welcome and integrate those new arrivals who are already here. That was the message from Daniel Korski’s opening remarks to our welcoming event at Conservative Party Conference, as the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers hosted an expert panel including Tom Tugendhat MP, political activist Nathan Law and Katherine Mulhern from Action for Afghanistan.
Our speakers described how Afghans, Ukrainians, Syrians and Hong Kongers have come to the UK under different circumstances but they share basic needs. These are somewhere safe to live and the opportunity to earn a living. Just as important, new arrivals need to make new friends and connections which are so important to wellbeing and health.
The panellists spoke about these different needs: Katherine Mulhern talked about the importance of accessing employment, and that refugees should be treated ‘as assets, not liabilities’. Many Afghans are still prevented from starting their new lives in the UK because they remain in temporary hotel accommodation, rather than being settled into permanent homes.
Nathan Law spoke of the importance of cultural connections – for Hong Kongers to keep hold of their rich heritage and share it with others. He talked of the success of the UK Hong Kong film festival, which sold out within days of the tickets being released.
Panellists also talked about the crucial role played by churches and schools in welcoming. But Tom Tugendhat reminded the audience that welcoming efforts should not remain ‘a well-kept secret’: they should involve people from all areas of life, not just those most motivated to help newcomers settle and integrate. Nathan Law reinforced this important point, arguing that local authorities could think more creatively about how they can attract Hong Kongers and other new arrivals to areas.
Our speakers all saw an urgent need for the three separate schemes for Afghans, Hong Kongers and Ukrainians to be brought together into a more coherent welcoming programme; and for settlement and integration to be accelerated. This must involve business and civic society as well as schools, faith organisations and charities.
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers helps to coordinate the UK’s welcoming efforts across civil society, communities, business, education and government. It conducts research to inform policy and shares best practice around the integration of Hong Kongers. It also supports welcoming organisations working to help new arrivals from Hong Kong to settle and integrate in the UK.
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers, housed at the charity British Future, is one of the national VCSE grant recipients for the Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Programme, administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.