PM must step up to protect China's most feared critic

As a British citizen, imprisoned democracy activist Jimmy Lai deserves more from Keir Starmer

- Mark L Clifford

Jailed democracy activist Jimmy Lai fights for his life in Hong Kong. Last week, his son Sebastien delivered a letter to No 10 pleading for help. Where, he asks, is prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s promised help for his father, a British citizen in jail for fighting for British values? Lai, a self-made billionaire and former newspaper publisher, has languished in a maximum security prison in solitary confinement for four years. His alleged crime is conspiring with foreign agents to undermine the Chinese Communist Party (CCP); his real “crime” is refusing to become a mouthpiece for the regime and trying to hold Beijing accountable for the promises it made to Britain when it took over the territory.

Yet, since becoming prime minister, Starmer (a former human rights lawyer) hasn’t even agreed to a meeting with his son Sebastien, let alone made a serious push to free the ageing, ailing democracy fighter. Lai, now China’s most famous political prisoner, is one of more than 250 activists, lawmakers and protesters detained under the national security law and sedition charges. Yet Starmer’s diplomats haven’t found the time to meet Lai to offer even bare-bones consular assistance during his four years of imprisonment.

While Starmer has called for his release and expressed his concern to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, these words are empty unless backed up by robust action. Instead, Starmer’s government seems more interested in currying favour with China by pushing ahead with plans for a mega-embassy in the heart of London than in supporting a British citizen jailed for simply criticising the CCP.