WE'LL FIGHT YOU FOR THEM:

 In 2014 pro-democracy protestors used umbrellas to defend themselves against the tear gas of the police: the protests failed, and umbrellas became a symbol of the movement. Beijing has meanwhile been sending over increasingly authoritarian legislation for Hong Kong authorities to approve. The extradition law brought 12,000 on to the streets in March. Last month, it proposed to make booing during the Chinese national anthem (a ruse beloved of Hong Kong football fans) punishable by five years' imprisonment. This bodes ill for the future, as does the growing military build-up in nearby Shen-zhen.

It's absurd now to think that Tories quivered at the idea of granting free movement to three million in Hong Kong, given that hundreds of millions of EU citizens had the same right. Britain has since proven itself to be the world's most successful melting pot, integrating five million migrants over the past decade, with none of the far-right political backlash seen on the Continent. It's hard to argue that there would be any problem in settling the Hong Kong Chinese, the best-educated and most highly skilled and productive immigrants any country could ask for. A 2016 study found that one in five Hong Kong adults planned to launch a business within the next three years.

The Brexit debate exposed several misunderstandings about concern over immigration. It's not that people feel Britain is 'full', a claim made even in 1984, when our islands accommodated ten million fewer people than they do now. The concern is about the ability to control immigration. Brexit has brought that control and, as a result, concern about immigration has plunged. Polls show Britain to be one of the most welcoming nations in the world.

At a time when countries compete for high-skilled people, Britain's moral duty and economic self-interest have become aligned.

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