David Lammy, UK Foreign Secretary, promises to confront China after they refuse entry to British MP to visit newborn grandchild in Hong Kong

The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has pledged to confront China regarding its ‘highly worrying’ move to prevent a British MP from entering Hong Kong to see their new grandchild.

Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, 65, flew to the region on Thursday when she was denied entry.

She was held at airport security and questioned before being put on the first flight home five hours later.

She is believed to be the first MP to be refused entry to the former British colony since it was handed back to China in 1997. 

Chinese officers confiscated her passport and the MP for Bath was asked about her job and the purpose of her visit.

She also had her luggage searched and stabbed and was then taken to a boarding gate by four immigration officers.

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.’

The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has pledged to confront China regarding its ‘highly worrying’ move to prevent a British MP from entering Hong Kong to see their new grandchild.

Wera Hobhouse, 65, flew to the region, which was a British territory until 1997, on Thursday

However she was held at airport security in Hong Kong and questioned before being put on the first flight home five hours later

Apart from being part of Ipac, Ms Hobhouse has previously condemned the Chinese government’s violations of human rights in Tibet and its suppression of freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

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.

Mr Lammy added: ‘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.’

A week earlier, Mr Lammy had criticised the Israeli government for refusing to allow Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang to enter the country due to comments they had made about the conflict in Gaza.

Lib Dem leader, Sir Ed Davey, has called the decision from China to bar the MP as ‘heartless’ and ‘totally unacceptable’. 

Speaking to The Times, she said: ‘I couldn’t even see him and give him a hug and I hadn’t seen him in a year.

‘When I was given the decision my voice was shaking and I was just saying: ‘Why, please explain to me?’ They never gave me an explanation. That was so cruel.’

Lib Dem leader, Sir Ed Davey, has called the decision from China to barr the MP as ‘heartless’ and ‘totally unacceptable’

She arrived in Hong Kong at 6pm local time on Thursday and went to passport control.

Ms Hobhouse is member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international group of politicians that scrutinises Beijing’s approach to human rights and the rules-based order, has said she believes it’s because she is an MP.

She has also criticised the crackdown on free speech in Hong Kong. 

Ms Hobhouse’s husband, William, was with his wife and was allowed to enter and the two were due to see their son who was worked in the region since 2019 as an university academic.

They would also be meeting their three-month old grandson for the first time. 

Since this, the businessman was flown back to the UK. 

Ms Hobhouse said: ‘I just said: ‘I want to see my grandson, I want to cuddle him. He was born three months ago, what is the problem?’ I am obviously devastated.’ 

She said that having to fly back was ‘so hard’ that she was left ‘very close to tears’. 

Lib Dem leader, Sir Ed Davey,said on X: ‘Wera just wanted to visit her son in Hong Kong and meet her baby grandson for the first time. 

‘But after a 13-hour flight, the Chinese authorities turned her away – just because she’s a British MP.’

Ms Hobhouse arrived in Hong Kong at 6pm local time on Thursday and went to passport control. 

But she was taken to a waiting area, and her husband later joined her, where she was questioned by the immigration office.

Later, the two were taken to the baggage hall and their bags were inspected. 

After waiting for three hours she was issued a notice confirming she was being refused entry and she was put on a Cathay Pacific flight back to London at 11.15pm.

Once back in London they were told to remain in their seats until they could be accompanied off the plane by stewards, and their passports were returned only after their left the plane. 

This comes after it was found that two Labour MPs had been denied entry to Israel last weekend. 

The Foreign Secretary said it was ‘unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning’ that Yuan Yang (right) and Abtisam Mohamed (left) were held and then deported

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, pictured, defended Israel saying it had the right ‘to control its borders’

Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang were refused entry because they intended to ‘spread hate speech’ against Israel, the nation’s population and immigration authority said.

The two members said it was ‘vital’ parliamentarians were able to witness the situation in Palestine. 

Ms Yang and Ms Mohamed said they were part of a parliamentary delegation and planned to visit charity projects and communities in the West Bank.

In a joint statement, the MPs said they were ‘astounded’ by their treatment.

Israeli officials said all four passengers were denied entry after being questioned and the MPs left the country at 6am local time (4am BST) on Sunday.

Mr Lammy said: ‘It is unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities.

‘I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.

The move by Israel was criticised by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said it was ‘unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning’.

However, Tory leader Kemi  Badenoch defended Israel saying it had the right ‘to control its borders’, adding it was ‘significant’ there were Labour MPs other countries did not want to let in.