China has lifted sanctions from six serving British MPs and peers, Starmer says

"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. I think that shows that if you engage, you can raise the difficult issues, the issues that my parliamentary colleagues would have expected me to raise,"

"However, it is unclear whether an academic, a barrister, and a former Tory MP who stepped down from parliament at the last election, who were also sanctioned, would be affected. The Guardian revealed last year that the Chinese government was reviewing the sanctions, which it introduced in response to what it called lies and disinformation about human rights abuses in Xinjiang."

China lifted sanctions on serving British MPs and peers with immediate effect following Keir Starmer's talks in Beijing with Xi Jinping. Nine UK citizens were banned from China in 2021, including five Conservative MPs and two members of the House of Lords, after they highlighted human rights violations against the Uyghur community. It remains unclear whether an academic, a barrister, and a former Tory MP who were also sanctioned will be affected. Starmer said President Xi indicated all parliamentarians are welcome. Starmer opened the door to a possible UK visit by Xi, which would have been politically difficult while sanctions remained. China's sanctions had been introduced in retaliation for UK sanctions on Chinese officials over Xinjiang.

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