UK lawmaker denies entry to Hong Kong fuels tension between nations

A British Member of Parliament, Wera Hobhouse, has been denied entry into Hong Kong by authorities without any explanation, on April 10, 2025.

This marks the first time a UK parliamentarian has faced such treatment since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Hobhouse, who represents Bath under the Liberal Democratic Party, made the revelation on the social media platform Bluesky last week.

According to reports, Hobhouse travelled with her husband from the United Kingdom to visit her newborn grandchild in Hong Kong.

However, she was stopped at the airport and barred from entering the city by immigration officers.

“They gave me no reason for this cruel and upsetting blow,” Hobhouse wrote on her verified account.

She appealed to the UK Foreign Secretary to demand answers from the Chinese Ambassador over the incident.

She described the action as an insult to all elected parliamentarians in the United Kingdom.

The British Consulate in Hong Kong confirmed the development and said it was treating the matter with urgency.

“We are aware that a UK MP was denied entry on Thursday,” the Consulate said in a response to the Associated Press.

The diplomatic mission added that it was raising the issue urgently with Hong Kong authorities.

Hong Kong officials have not responded to the incident as of the time of filing this report.

In similar cases in the past, they usually declined to give any explanation for entry refusals.

Hobhouse is one of over 40 members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group critical of Beijing’s policies.

Observers believe her association with the alliance may have triggered the travel restriction.

China has previously dismissed criticism from foreign lawmakers as interference in its internal affairs.

The Chinese government has also declared the Sino-British Joint Declaration null and void.

That agreement once guaranteed Hong Kong a high level of autonomy for 50 years.

Since the 1997 handover, China has steadily reduced civil liberties in the former British colony.

The 2019 pro-democracy protests led to a harsh crackdown on dissent and free speech in the city.

Authorities introduced a strict national security law that saw opposition figures arrested and media outlets shut down.

Dozens of civil society groups have since closed operations due to pressure and intimidation.

Analysts say Hobhouse’s experience signals a tougher stance against foreign critics of Chinese policy in Hong Kong.

Rights activists have condemned the action as a new low in the erosion of democratic space.

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