Boris Johnson’s ministers and members of the royal family should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing unless China allows UN investigators to examine alleged human rights abuses, Labour has said.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab and culture secretary Oliver Dowden have been urged to announce a political boycott if Beijing refuses to allow a thorough investigation into alleged atrocities in Xinjiang province.
Beijing has strongly denied international claims about the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, despite reports indicating that more than a million people have been arbitrarily detained.
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy and shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens have written to their counterparts arguing a political response is needed to deny China a “PR coup” next year.
“We are now calling on you to use the occasion of the games to press the case for unfettered UN access to Xinjiang to conduct a full, transparent and independent investigation,” the Labour MPs said.
“If this is not granted, the UK government should not send ministers, royal family members or senior representatives to participate in any official duties or ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics.”
They added: “The Chinese government will want the games to be a diplomatic success. A political boycott by the UK and other states would send a strong signal of the deep global concern with the plight of the Uyghur and prevent the games being a PR exercise for the Chinese authorities.”
In February, the Liberal Democrats called for a sporting boycott of the Winter Olympics. Leader Sir Ed Davey urged Mr Johnson to send a clear message about the “genocide happening in front of our eyes”.
But the prime minister rejected calls for a sporting boycott, and the British Olympic Association (BOA) said it “fully supported” No 10’s position.
Labour stopped short of calling for a sporting boycott – arguing that that would not be fair on Team GB competitors who have trained for four years for the chance to take part, or on the Chinese people who are not responsible for the situation.
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy
The party said a political boycott should be triggered if China has not granted inspectors access to Xinjiang by 14 September – the opening of the UN General Assembly session in New York.
Ms Nandy said: “For as long as China continues to block access to Xinjiang, no self-respecting government should even consider handing a PR coup to Beijing.
“The UK parliament recently took the unprecedented step of recognising what is happening to the Uyghur is genocide. After a decade of Tory prime ministers rolling out the red carpet to Beijing, this must be the turning point.”
