China-critic MPs condemn 'selective' lifting of sanctions as Starmer hails 'win' from his 'kowtowing' visit to Beijing... paving the way for Xi Jinping to come to the UK
China-critic MPs condemned the 'selective' lifting of sanctions today as Keir Starmer hailed a win from his trip to Beijing.The PM announced that travel bans and asset freezes imposed on parliamentarians five years ago have been lifted after he lobbied Xi Jinping during their talks yesterday.The group of seven - including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith - had been accused by the Chinese authorities of having 'maliciously spread lies and disinformation' after they raised the alarm about the mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province.It is thought the lifting of their sanctions will remove a major objection to the Chinese president coming to the UK for the G20 summit next year.However, the MPs and peers demanded 'clear assurances' that the UK's measures against the four Chinese government officials remained in place.They said it appeared that former MPs and other campaigners were still subject to sanctions.The group also insisted they could take 'no comfort' while pro-democracy campaigner and British citizen Jimmy Lai remained imprisoned and the Uighurs continued to suffer atrocities. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also cast doubt on the move, suggesting the Chinese government had done so to pave the way for Mr Xi to visit the UK Parliament, and that they could be re-imposed after that. No10 sparked fresh outrage by opening the door to the Xi Jinping (pictured with Keir Starmer yesterday) coming to the UK.After the possibility of a trip emerged yesterday, Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle said President Xi would not be allowed the honour of giving a speech at Westminster.'I'm the guardian of MPs. I'm there to protect them from sanctions. It would be wrong to let Xi into their workplace while these sanctions are in place,' he told The Times.It is understood Sir Lindsay was kept in the dark about the discussions over the sanctions and is seeking more information from No10. Xi last came to Britain a decade ago under David Cameron's 'golden era' of close relations between the two countries.However, since then relations have deteriorated significantly - until Sir Keir's latest attempt at a 'reset'.The PM revealed the move in broadcast interviews today after he was asked how he could countenance the Chinese President's visit while MPs remain under sanctions.He told GB News: 'I know that the action taken in relation to our parliamentarians has been a real cause of concern, understandably so. And therefore I raised that issue whilst I was here, and the Chinese are absolutely clear in response, the restrictions no longer apply. President Xi said to me that that means all parliamentarians are welcome.'And I think that shows that if you engage, you can raise the difficult issues, the issues that my parliamentary college would have expected me to raise, and therefore I can be clear, the restrictions no longer apply.'He added: 'In relation to President Xi coming to the UK. Obviously we're hosting the G20 in 2027, China is a G20 country, and therefore I hope he'll attend.'In a separate interview with Channel 4 News Sir Keir was told the lifting of sanctions was 'fairly cosmetic' as the MPs and peers would not travel to China and had also suffered intimidation.He replied: 'It's a very important matter, we raised the issue as we've raised a number of sensitive issues.'And he told Sky News that the result justified his decision to visit China, after he was accused of 'kowtowing' to President Xi and gaining little in return.'That's something that couldn't have happened if we weren't here, having the leader-to-leader exchange. It doesn't happen if you stick your head in the sand.'However the sanctioned MPs said they did not want to be used as bargaining chips and would not accept a reprieve while others remain targeted.The group - which also includes Lord Alton, Labour peer Baroness Kennedy, Tory MPs Nusrat Ghani, Tom Tugendhat and Neil O'Brien as well as former MP Tim Loughton - said in a statement: 'While British citizen Jimmy Lai remains imprisoned and Uighurs continue to suffer atrocity crimes, we take no comfort in this decision and will not be silenced.'We look forward to receiving urgent assurances from the government regarding those who were placed under sanction together with us, and take this opportunity to express our ongoing solidarity with the Uighur people, whose cause we will not drop.'We hope that the Prime Minister will meet all of those sanctioned, not just sitting parliamentarians, upon his return.'The group said: 'The selective lifting of sanctions solely on sitting parliamentarians is wrong.“Parliament exists to represent and defend the people of the United Kingdom.“Seeking or accepting preferential treatment for current MPs and peers sends a damaging signal that some are more deserving of protection than others.”It is not known if China has lifted the other sanctions it imposed in March 2021 including on Essex Court Chambers and Geoffrey Nice KC.Sources said there was no quid pro quo in the deal and that the UK has not lifted the sanctions it had imposed on Chinese officials at the same time.Critics say the PM secured little from his meeting with Xi yesterday. Duties on Scotch whisky are being reduced and Brits will get visa-free travel to China for short trips - something 50 countries including France and Germany already have. Transatlantic tensions have also emerged over Sir Keir's cosying up to China. Asked what he thought of the PM's efforts at the premiere of the new documentary about his wife Melania, Donald Trump said: 'Well, it's very dangerous for them to do that.'Sir Keir has not secured a commitment for the release of Jimmy Lai, the British democracy activist jailed in Hong Kong; or the lifting of sanctions on MPs and peers who have spoken out against China's human rights abuses.The leaders also discussed Ukraine but there was no indication that Sir Keir persuaded president Xi to end his support for Russia.Downing Street would not even say if Sir Keir – dubbed Kowtow Keir for allowing Beijing to build a mega-embassy in London – had raised the scandals of Chinese intelligence services trying to infiltrate Parliament or hacking the phones of aides to former Tory prime ministers. Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle had insisted Xi would not be allowed the honour of giving a speech at WestminsterTrade minister Chris Bryant sounded distinctly uncomfortable about the prospects of a visit during broadcast interviews this morning, stressing he was bound by collective government responsibility.'I'm a government minister... of course we take all those issues that you just raised extremely seriously and I'm sure that they would factor into any discussions,' he told Sky News.
