Why case of jailed Briton Jimmy Lai is major sticking point for Keir Starmer’s relations with China
The UK government is facing increasing pressure to call on China to release jailed pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai as it seeks closer trading ties with Beijing.
Media tycoon Mr Lai is currently on trial in Hong Kong facing charges under the city’s national security law, imposed by Beijing in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy protests.
Mr Lai’s imprisonment and trial have become a sticking point for the British government in their dealings with China.
Chinese foreign secretary Wang Yi met Mr Lammy, and Sir Keir Starmer briefly, in London on Thursday, and pressure was on the UK foreign secretary to raise Mr Lai’s situation and call for his release.
Why is Jimmy Lai a British issue?
The 77-year-old has lived in Hong Kong since he was 12 years old, after stowing away on a fishing boat from China and working as a child labourer in a garment factory.
He built up fashion empire Giordano and after becoming a democracy advocate following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, he set up a magazine in Hong Kong.
Ahead of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from the UK to China, he started Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily in an attempt to maintain freedom of speech.
Around the same time, in 1994, he became a full British citizen.
He has never held a Chinese or Hong Kong passport but because he was born in mainland China, Hong Kong authorities deem him to be a Chinese citizen.
Mr Lai has homes all over the world, including in London, Paris, Taipei and Kyoto. But his sole passport is British.
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‘Hong Kong’s become a policed state’
Why is he in jail?
During the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Mr Lai’s Apple Daily adopted the position of the protesters, criticising the government.
In June 2021, Apple Daily was raided by the police, who seized documents, froze its accounts and arrested its executives, leading to its closure.
Mr Lai was arrested and charged under the newly introduced national security law with collusion with foreign forces, as well as sedition under colonial-era laws.
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Mr Lai during a protest in 2019
He was also charged with unauthorised assembly for attending the protests, and fraud for a lease violation, which he has denied and has been condemned by the US as spurious.
The media tycoon has been found guilty of various other charges, including attending a Tiananmen vigil, which has meant he has been in a high-security jail since December 2020.
What about his trial?
In December 2023, Mr Lai’s national security law trial, where he faces charges of collusion with foreign forces and conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications, started after years of delay.
After seven months, the court refused to dismiss the charges and adjourned the trial before Mr Lai could testify.
He was kept in solitary confinement and the trial resumed in November last year, when he first took to the stand.
Jimmy Lai pictured arriving at court on 12 December 2020: File pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung
The media tycoon has now testified for more than 40 days, facing questioning about his editorial control over Apple Daily, links to activists in Hong Kong, the UK and US and meetings with US politicians.
In December, he told the trial he believed the UK had a “moral responsibility” to lead international support of Hong Kong, but denied requesting the UK government engaged in hostile activities against China and Hong Kong.
What has the British government done?
Boris Johnson
When Mr Lai was charged under the national security law in 2020, then prime minister Boris Johnson said the UK was “deeply concerned”.
This prompted the Chinese embassy in London to express “grave concern” about the “irresponsible remarks” which they said were an “act of interference”.
However, any pressure from the government appeared to drop after that for a few years.
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‘This is what Hong Kong is’
A lack of engagement
A handful of “China hawks” in parliament, including former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory foreign affairs committee chair Alicia Kearns, Lord Alton and Labour MP Catherine West, have consistently raised Mr Lai’s case in parliament.
Mr Lai’s son, Sebastien, and his father’s international legal team called several times for a meeting with Liz Truss and James Cleverly when they were foreign secretaries but that never happened, although they did meet with a foreign minister.
James Cleverly
Rhetoric then ratcheted up, with Mr Cleverly raising Mr Lai’s case directly with Chinese vice president Han Zheng as well as at the “highest levels with the Hong Kong authorities”.
Mr Cleverly accused Hong Kong in May 2023 of “deliberately targeting prominent pro-democracy figures, journalists and politicians in an effort to silence and discredit them”, adding: “Detained British dual national Jimmy Lai is one such figure.”
The then foreign secretary James Cleverly with China’s Vice President Han Zheng
Lord Cameron and Rishi Sunak
Lord Cameron, as foreign secretary, called for Mr Lai’s charges to be dropped at the end of 2023, and for his immediate release.
In a January 2024 letter to the last governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten, Rishi Sunak called Mr Lai’s trial “politically motivated” and vowed to keep raising the case with Beijing as a priority.
However, Mr Sunak dodged questions about whether he had personally raised his case with the Chinese government.
Starmer government
With a change of government, Mr Lai’s family and supporters hoped there would be a more concerted effort.
Three months after winning the general election, Sir Keir said securing the release of Mr Lai was a “priority” for his government and said it would “continue” to raise the case with China.
Sebastien Lai welcomed his words but asked the PM to “put word to action to save my father’s life and bring him home”.
David Lammy and Wang Yi in Beijing. Pic: AP
Ahead of his first trip to China as foreign secretary in October, Mr Lammy was urged by MPs sanctioned by Beijing to raise the case of political prisoners in Hong Kong, including Mr Lai.
The Foreign Office said he pressed Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Mr Lai’s detention, and Mr Lammy said he “was able to have dialogue with the Chinese on areas where we disagree, areas like Hong Kong”.
Mr Lammy then joined Chancellor Rachel Reeves on a trip to revive economic ties after “years of tension”. She said she raised Mr Lai’s imprisonment with every minister she met in China.
During the latest meeting of Mr Lammy and Mr Yi, Number 10 said Sir Keir also met him briefly and told him he wants “consistent and respectful relations” and to deepen trade relations with China.
It did not say if he brought up Mr Lai, but the foreign secretary said ahead of the meeting: “We will also discuss issues where the UK and China do not always see eye to eye. In some cases, the UK does have significant concerns.”
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
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Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
Read more from Sky News:
Is the UK ready for a ‘Trump-fest’?
Elton and Jagger at royal banquet
King and Trump won’t hold private meeting
This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
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UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
Politics Hub: Catch up on the latest
Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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