London, 19 February 1971
You will remember that Mr Gorton raised with you in Singapore the business of the separation into two channels of British passport and other passport holders passing through immigration control at points of entry into Britain.1
We asked the Home Office to comment, and they produced a letter which in effect said that such a change would lead to an immediate outcry from British passport holders, who would find themselves badly delayed. With your agreement, I went back to them, and the second approach has produced a longer and more fully argued version of the same point. In effect you are asked to agree that the resentment caused by the segregation to Australians coming into this country would be greatly outweighed by the resentment and frustration caused to British passport holders by the increased delay in passing through immigration.2
I cannot myself think of any other practical suggestions which we could put to the Home Office as possible means of overcoming the problem. […]
1 Document 324.
2 See Documents 324–29.
[UKNA: PREM 15/442]