David Lammy sadi it was ‘deeply concerning’ that Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse had been refused entry to Hong Kong to visit her newborn grandson – a move she said was ‘cruel’
David Lammy is set to confront Chinese authorities after a British MP was denied entry to Hong Kong to meet her grandson for the first time.
The Foreign Secretary said it was “deeply concerning” that Lib Dem Wera Hobhouse was turned away when she tried to visit her son and his newborn child. Ms Hobhouse, who is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) – which criticises Beijing’s handling of human rights, described the decision as “cruel”.
She told The Times: “My son was waiting at the other end at arrivals. I couldn’t even see him and give him a hug and I hadn’t seen him in a year. I couldn’t even see him and give him a hug and I hadn’t seen him in a year.”
She said she was “devastated” that she was unable to meet her grandson. Ms Hobhouse said: “They are obviously quite a long way away, so each month you lose is a bit of a loss for the relationship I will have with my grandson.”
And she wrote on Bluesky: “I am the first MP to be refused entry on arrival to Hong Kong since 1997. Authorities gave me no explanation for this cruel and upsetting blow. I hope the Foreign Secretary will recognise that this is an insult to all parliamentarians and seek answers from the Chinese Ambassador.”
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Ms Hobhouse, 65, was held at airport security and questioned before being put on the first flight home five hours later. She also had her passport confiscated and her luggage searched and swabbed. Despite the treatment, which left her close to tears, her husband William was allowed through the airport.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was “heartless” and “totally unacceptable” to refuse Ms Hobhouse entry. In a letter to Mr Lammy, Sir Ed called on him to meet the Lib Dem MP after her family was treated in an “appalling way”.
He said: “We are are sure you will agree that this is a deeply concerning situation. The UK cannot allow the Chinese Government to attempt to undermine our democracy by intimidating our parliamentarians.”
Mr Lammy said: “It is deeply concerning to hear that an MP on a personal trip has been refused entry to Hong Kong. We will urgently raise this with the authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing to demand an explanation.”
China has previously banned several British MPs from entering the country, including Ipac members Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Nusrat Ghani, and former security minister Tom Tugendhat.
The latest row comes days after Israel refused entry to two Labour MPs – Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang – following comments they had made about Gaza. Mr Lammy said: “As I made clear earlier this week, it would be unacceptable for an MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views as a Parliamentarian.
“Unjustified restrictions on freedom of movement can only serve to further undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation.”
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