Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to secure an assurance that British citizen Jimmy Lai would be released, despite going to China “with the title deeds to a mega-embassy in the back pocket”.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, who had previously been sanctioned by the communist regime, criticised the Prime Minister in Parliament on Monday.
Foreign minister Baroness Chapman of Darlington argued Mr Lai should be freed immediately but said the government would not “get everything we want with one visit”.
Sir Keir headed to China after the government gave the go-ahead to Beijing’s proposed new super-embassy in London, despite security concerns.
During his trip, the Prime Minister raised Mr Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Lai, 78, is the founder of now-defunct Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily and has been an influential figure in the territory’s pro-democracy movement.
He has been detained for more than five years, much of that time in solitary confinement, having been arrested in 2020 during a crackdown on protests.
In December, he was found guilty by a Hong Kong court of conspiracy and sedition, sparking condemnation.
Lord Alton warned that Mr Lai was “likely to die” in prison unless he was released soon.
He added: “I am not opposed to us visiting China, but why did we go with the title deeds to a mega-embassy in the back pocket without first extracting an assurance that there would be some reciprocity with the release of Jimmy Lai?”
In reply, Lady Chapman said: “We agree that Jimmy Lai ought to be released immediately because he should not be imprisoned.
“It is right that the UK government engage with China. After such a long time of the UK not having engaged in this way, this is not the sort of situation where we get everything we want with one visit. The relationship will improve.
“It is good that we are engaging and that we are clear on what we expect and want to happen for Jimmy Lai. Engagement and challenge are not mutually exclusive, they go hand in hand.”
Earlier, she told peers: “The UK condemns in the strongest terms the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai.
“Mr Lai has been targeted for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, and that is why we summoned the Chinese ambassador following his verdict and why we raise his case at every opportunity.
“The Prime Minister raised it directly with President Xi last week, calling on the Hong Kong authorities to release him on humanitarian grounds.”
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk
