Overview

• Wera Hobhouse, a UK Liberal Democrat MP, was denied entry to Hong Kong during a family visit, with no explanation provided by local authorities.
• Hobhouse attributes the denial to her criticism of China's human rights record and her membership in the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).
• UK Treasury Minister James Murray confirmed that Trade Minister Douglas Alexander raised the issue with Chinese authorities during his official visit to China.
• The incident has reignited scrutiny of China's alleged use of blacklists to bar critical MPs, following similar bans on figures like Iain Duncan Smith and Nusrat Ghani.
• Hobhouse has called for a comprehensive audit of UK-China relations, warning that closer ties with China could compromise democratic values and national interests.