Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Jimmy Lai (Image: Getty)
Rachel Reeves will raise the case of detained Briton Jimmy Lai when she meets with counterparts in China.
MPs sanctioned by the communist nation demanded that the Chancellor discuss the ongoing detention and treatment of political prisoners during her visit to Beijing.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat, Nusrat Ghani and peers Baroness Kennedy and Lord Alton are among those who signed a letter to the Chancellor with the demand ahead of her trip this weekend.
The group of 25 MPs and peers urged Ms Reeves to particularly mention the case of Mr Lai, the 77-year-old grandfather who has been in solitary confinement for four years following a “show trial”.
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Media tycoon Mr Lai, one of Hong Kong's most influential pro-democracy figures, has been accused of colluding with foreign forces - which he denies.
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In the letter, organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, they said: “As you know, the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue was paused following the imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
“Since 2020, the situation in Hong Kong has not improved. It has deteriorated. This tragic reality must not be allowed to pass without protest, given the UK’s moral and legal obligations to the city.
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“Mr Lai is a British Citizen who has been denied consular support. His show-trial is emblematic of the destruction of Hong Kong’s freedoms and the impunity with which Beijing believes it can now behave. As a British citizen unable to receive consular support from his own government, Mr Lai’s case is also symbolic of the way in which Beijing believes it can treat the United Kingdom.
“We urge you to call for his immediate and unconditional release, alongside the many other political prisoners in Hong Kong.”
Ms Reeves has fled to China with a dozen financial services chiefs, including Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, despite the falling pound and rising cost of government borrowing.
They will meet with officials in Beijing on Saturday and Shanghai on Sunday.
The letter to Ms Reeves added: “We write to urge you to raise the ongoing detention and treatment of political prisoners, especially Jimmy Lai, during your visit to Beijing.
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“Jimmy Lai has been held in solitary confinement for over four years. A practising Catholic, Mr Lai has been denied Holy Communion in flagrant breach of his Article 18 rights. His trial - one of the longest in Hong Kong’s history - is a fantasy of fabrication, as the UK Government has rightly pointed out. He is one of many denied their fundamental freedoms merely for standing up for the rights and freedoms Hong Kong was promised.”
Other signatories include: Baroness D’Souza, Sarah Champion MP, Phil Brickell MP, Joe Powell MP, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, Marie Rimmer MP, Alex Sobel MP, Lord Carlile of Berriew, Calum Miller MP, Connor Rand MP, Alex Barros-Curtis MP, James Naish MP, Blair McDougall MP, Layla Moran MP, Chris Law MP, Gregory Stafford MP, Lord Shinkwin, Lord Bethell of Romford and John Slinger MP.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, of Mr Lai’s international legal team, said: “The Chancellor’s visit is a vitally important opportunity for the Government to show China that the UK will hold true to its values and stand up for its citizens.
"Rachel Reeves must make clear that until Jimmy Lai comes home, the UK is not open for business.”
Labour’s renewed efforts for closer ties with China comes amid growing national security concerns.
Sir Keir Starmer is determined to improve relations while still challenging Beijing over disagreements and looking for cooperation where possible.
He became the first British prime minister to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for more than six years at the G20 summit in Brazil in November.
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Just last month businessman Yang Tengbo - who worked with Prince Andrew - had been identified as the 50-year-old Chinese alleged spy banned from the UK.
And earlier this year the UK government formally accused China of being behind what it called "malicious" cyber campaigns against MPs and the Electoral Commission.
China imposed sanctions on 10 UK organisations and individuals in 2021, including Sir Iain, Mr Tugendhat and Ms Ghani, over what it called the spreading of “lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses in Xinjiang.