PM should have secured activist’s release before China visit, says Tom Tugendhat

The Prime Minister should have secured the release of a pro-democracy activist before visiting China, Tom Tugendhat has said.

The Tory former security minister accused Sir Keir Starmer of “showing his cards” to Beijing ahead of his visit this week by not securing Jimmy Lai’s release ahead of time.

According to his son, the 78-year-old British national has spent five years in solitary confinement in treatment which amounts to “torture” under Hong Kong’s new national security law.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland on Wednesday, the Conservative MP – who has been sanctioned by the Chinese regime – said: “The problem is, the Prime Minister has sat down at the card table and shown the Chinese emperor all of his cards.

“He’s effectively said ‘I’m not going to play hardball with you’, and the reason I know that’s what’s happened is because he’s turned up without securing the release.

“He should have said ‘I know you want me to come because it’s good for your domestic image… well, I want some things first. I want the release of Jimmy Lai’.

“That’s what he should have said, but he hasn’t said that, we know he hasn’t said that because Jimmy Lai is still in prison.”

Speaking on the same programme, Mr Lai’s son Sebastian said his father is “not well” and is struggling with diabetes and heart issues, but he still holds out hope they will be reunited.

Asked if he thought the Prime Minister raising the issue would make an impact on his father’s release, Mr Lai said: “I depends how you raise it.

“He has to put conditionalities on it, because, otherwise, the Chinese are very happy for my father to just die, and die in prison.”

Mr Lai recognised the size of the Chinese economy, saying he does not expect the UK to cut relations with Beijing, but he added: “There are leverages, right?

“There are things where if the (Prime Minister) goes ‘if you’re not willing to at least put a British citizen on a plane and send him over, then it doesn’t look good for me to fly all the way to China’.

“I think it’s a key piece of leverage.”

Ahead of his meetings with the Chinese leadership, Sir Keir declined to be drawn on what he would seek to raise.

He said: “In the past, on all the trips I’ve done, I’ve always raised issues that need to be raised, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself on the specifics until I’ve had the opportunity.”