No official delegation will be sent to the Games in February but athletes will be able to attend with the full support of theWhite House. And Britain should follow suit, a Conservative former leader has urged. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed last night: "We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games.

       "We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights. US diplomatic or official representation would treat these Games as business as usual in the face of the PRC's egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can't do that." The US has accused China of genocide towards the Uighurs - a Muslim minority group that lives mostly in the region of Xinjiang.

       Tensions have also risen over the way China has acted to repress political freedoms in Hong Kong.

       Within hours of the US announcement, Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the House of Commons: "Many on both sides of the House have called for the UK Government to do the same and it is to our distress and annoyance that my government has failed so far to express a view on this. They should do it now."

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