LONDON -- Britain fears an influx of immigrants if full UK citizenship is granted to the remaining Overseas Territories.

Premier Pamela Gordon said: "What the concern is, if you give citizenship to an additional 130,000 people, realistically, you won't have all of them go to Britain.

"But of those who do, there are worries over who is going to foot the bill for things like health care and welfare.'' Ms Gordon was speaking after she met Baroness Symons, the Foreign Office junior Minister in charge of the Overseas Territories, for a private hearing after a tax summit in London.

The Royal Gazette reported several months ago that there had been clashes between Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and Home Secretary Jack Straw after Mr.

Cook promised a meeting of the Dependent Territories a new deal -- including the possibility of the right to live and work in Britain, or even full UK passports.

Ms Gordon said: "I would assume people who went to Britain would able to support themselves and pay income tax.

"But what they're worried about is people who come to Britain and can't find a job.'' Ms Gordon, however, stressed that Baroness Symons had insisted that Mr. Cook was still committed to a major rewrite of relations and would be pushing ahead with a White Paper on the subject, likely to be finished by November.

Ms Gordon said: "She recognises the sensitivity around this issue -- Bermudians are not rushing out and trying to go to the UK, but they want to settle this issue once and for all.

"If you want to be technical, we are stateless. We can't offer citizenship, only status.'' Up until 1981, Dependent Territories citizens did have full passports and the right to live and work in Britain.

The law was amended in the run-up to the handover of millions of Hong Kong Chinese to Communist China.

Ms Gordon said: "This is not a new commitment -- it's a recommitment to the old arrangements.'' Ms Gordon added that she and Baroness Symons also discussed the Island's anti-drugs and money-laundering Proceeds of Crime Act.

The Act was criticised by Britain for not going far enough to combat white collar crimes and for omitting fiscal offences.

But Ms Gordon said fiscal offences had now been added in -- although not to the main body of the legislation.

Ms Gordon added: "I think that's now a point to be argued.

"We also argued that as a somewhat autonomous jurisdiction, we have always had the ability to create legislation suitable and fitting for Bermuda and we've never had problems before.'' Ms Gordon said it was possible for the UK to block Bermudian legislation.

But she added it was seen as "unwise'' to do so, and she said the UK was prepared to allow the issue "to come back to the table''.

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