UK expresses concern, demands explanation after British MP denied entry to Hong Kong

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The UK on Monday raised deep concern and demanded an explanation after a British lawmaker was barred from entering Hong Kong in an "unacceptable" move.

Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse, was refused entry to Hong Kong while she was on visit to see her newborn grandson last week.

Defining the incident as a "cruel and upsetting blow," she said it is an insult to all parliamentarians.

"I am the first MP to be refused entry on arrival to Hong Kong since 1997," Hobhouse wrote on BlueSky on Saturday, adding that authorities did not give her any explanation. Britain handed over Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997.

Hobhouse is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which collaborates with global lawmakers "to address challenges posed by China, promoting democratic values, human rights, and a rules-based order."

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said it is "deeply concerning," and the issue will be raised with the authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, earlier called on Lammy to summon the Chinese ambassador after Hobhouse's entry denial.

"China should not be allowed to undermine our democracy," he wrote on X.

On Monday, the UK government said that during his visit to mainland China and Hong Kong, Douglas Alexander, minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, relayed Britain's "immediate and deep concern" regarding the incident and demanded an explanation.

"Unjustified restrictions on the freedom of movement for UK citizens into Hong Kong only serves to further undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation and the important people-people connections between the UK and Hong Kong," a government spokesperson said in a statement.

"As the Foreign Secretary has made clear, and Minister Alexander relayed in person, it would be unacceptable for any MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views," added the spokesperson, calling it "deeply concerning."

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday said “border entry is a matter within a country’s sovereignty.”

“The Hong Kong SAR government has the authority to handle individual cases of entry in accordance with relevant laws and policies,” Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.