Full British nationality for Bermudians will be in the long-awaited White Paper on Britain's rewrite of relations with its Overseas Territories, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

And there will be no two-way street on residency rights for British mainland passport holders in the former colonies.

Deputy Governor Tim Gurney said: "There will be a mechanism for extending full British nationality to citizens of Bermuda.

And he added: "Concerns about reciprocity are unfounded.'' Mr. Gurney was speaking after the Governor of the Caribbean British territory Anguilla moved to quash fears over the new deal.

Islanders were told Anguilla faced an unrestricted flood of UK mainland citizens under the terms of the White Paper, to be released in two weeks' time.

The allegation was made by the Island's Chief Minister Herbert Hughes in a radio address on Friday.

He said that European Union citizens would automatically be given the right to live in Anguilla -- raising fears of rising unemployment and housing shortages.

But Governor Robert Harris said: "British and other European citizens, or anyone else for that matter, will be subject to the same controls as they are now.

Long-awaited White Paper to target UK citizenship "They will have no right of abode here, no right to work without permission and no right to buy property without the permission of the Anguillan Government.'' And Mr. Harris added that the UK recognised controls were needed to protect the island from "a significant influx of outsiders.'' It is understood Anguilla -- currently in a bout of election fever -- has fixed on the upcoming White Paper as a hot political issue.

But Mr. Harris pointed out that any offer of citizenship can be rejected by the island -- and by extension, the other Territories.

And he said Independence remained an option for Anguilla -- a deal which will apply to any of the other UK Overseas Territories who want to go that route instead.

Mr. Harris added that the UK Government had also ruled out extending the UK tax system to Anguilla. He said: "The White Paper is about the continued goodwill of the government -- and indeed the people -- of Britain towards Anguilla.

"It sets out a new partnership for progress and prosperity reflecting the maturity of the relationship between Britain and the Overseas Territories.'' Mr. Gurney backed his Foreign Office colleague in Anguilla and stressed Bermudians had nothing to fear from the new deal.

He said: "Currently our understanding of the White Paper is that it will indeed reaffirm Britain's relationship with its Overseas Territories.''