Latest news with #WeraHobhouse
Nikkei Asia
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
UK MP barred from Hong Kong urges reciprocal ban on China politicians
LONDON -- British lawmaker Wera Hobhouse has called on the U.K. government to impose reciprocal entry bans on some Chinese politicians, after she was barred without explanation from entering Hong Kong in early April. Hobhouse, 65, said she is the first member of Parliament to be denied entry to Hong Kong since the former colony's handover to China in 1997. The politician from the Liberal Democrats party had planned a 10-day trip to visit her son and his family.
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Denying anti-China MP entry may be bad press but perfectly justified
British politicians like Wera Hobhouse make a living by kicking up a fuss. So when Hong Kong authorities denied her entry at the airport, naturally, it presented the perfect opportunity. Advertisement Now the Liberal Democrat member of parliament has made so much noise even the Foreign Secretary David Lammy is on the case, demanding an explanation. She said it was because China wanted to shut her up. What, by giving her a perfect excuse to broadcast her 'ordeal' for the UK media to lap it up? Well, I have an explanation for Lammy and Hobhouse. The Lib Dem is a key member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), a malignant propaganda outfit filled with European and US political hacks pretending to be activists. Usually, you have activists fighting politicians but these guys like to cosplay as they are heavily funded by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, essentially an outlet for the island's independence, and the National Endowment for Democracy, a US congressional-funded body pretending to be an independent NGO – according to a 2021 investigation by Junge Welt, a German left-wing publication. The way Hobhouse told it, you would have thought Hong Kong immigration officials strip-searched and cattle-prodded her. Officials said she was questioned but refused to cooperate. She said she behaved like a perfect lady. In the event, her husband was allowed into the city but decided to join her on the flight back home. She said it was supposed to be a private visit to see their son and newborn grandchild. Advertisement I don't want to second-guess immigration officers, but I would have let her in after questioning. She would still have made a fuss just for being questioned but it would have perfectly exposed her hypocrisy and that of Ipac. Apparently her son has decided to work and raise a family in Hong Kong since 2019. But isn't Hong Kong supposed to be like George Orwell's 1984 now?
South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Deeply concerning': UK voices worries after MP denied entry to Hong Kong
The UK government has voiced worries after a member of parliament was denied entry to Hong Kong last week, saying the move will further undermine the city's international reputation. Advertisement British authorities said any decision to deny entry to an MP who was 'simply expressing their views' was 'unacceptable'. 'It is deeply concerning that a UK MP was refused permission to enter Hong Kong last week,' a British government spokesman said. Wera Hobhouse, the MP for Bath and a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which has been critical of Beijing's handling of human rights issues, earlier said she was detained and questioned upon her arrival in Hong Kong before being sent back to the UK without an explanation last Thursday. The spokesman added: '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.' Advertisement Britain's trade minister, Douglas Alexander, met Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki on Monday as part of his visit to the city and mainland China.
Bloomberg
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Hong Kong Hints at Reasons for Rare Entry Denial to British MP
The Hong Kong government has detailed its reasons for potentially barring a UK member of parliament from entry, a decision without precedent in the almost three decades since Britain's handover of the city to Chinese control. In response to media inquiries about the incident involving Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, the government warned that obstructing immigration officials could be a factor in gaining entrance, while noting it couldn't comment on individual cases. Hobhouse said she was turned back at the border last week.
Washington Post
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Hong Kong defends its immigration procedures after British MP was denied entry
HONG KONG — Hong Kong's government on Monday defended its immigration procedures after a British member of parliament was denied entry to the Chinese city last week , an incident that has prompted concerns among U.K. officials. Wera Hobhouse, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party representing Bath, on Sunday wrote on the social media platform Bluesky that authorities gave her no explanation for what she described as a 'cruel and upsetting blow.' She noted that she was the first British MP to face such a situation upon arrival in the former British colony since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997 .
