Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the detention of Jimmy Lai.

Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for this government. The Prime Minister raised Mr Lai's case with President Xi on 18 November 2024 at the G20 Summit in Brazil. The Foreign Secretary raised it with China's Foreign Minister in April. During my visit to Hong Kong last month, I called for Mr Lai's release during my meeting with Hong Kong's Chief Secretary.

The UK continues to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Mr Lai. Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong have attended his court proceedings throughout, and we continue to press for consular access.