China has lifted sanctions on six British MPs and peers, Starmer says

"Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said China has lifted "all restrictions" on six current members of the British Parliament, after talks with President Xi Jinping. Speaking to the BBC in Shanghai, Sir Keir said a travel ban and other sanctions "no longer apply" to those parliamentarians, which includes four Conservative MPs and two peers in the House of Lords."

"The PM said the outcome "vindicated" his approach, suggesting his visit to China had "provided the opportunity for a leader-to-leader discussion on sensitive issues". But in a statement, the MPs and peers targeted said they did not want to be "used as a bargaining chip" and would rather remain sanctioned. Sir Keir's three-day trip to China - the first by a British prime minister since 2018 - is an attempt to thaw relations with the country, which is the second-biggest economy in the world behind the US."

China lifted all restrictions, including a travel ban, on six current British parliamentarians following talks between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Xi Jinping. The group includes four Conservative MPs and two peers in the House of Lords. The targeted MPs and peers said they did not want to be used as bargaining chips and would prefer to remain sanctioned. The three-day visit, the first by a British prime minister since 2018, aims to thaw relations with China, the world's second-largest economy. Critics raised concerns about China's human rights record and potential threats to UK national security, while Conservatives accused the prime minister of kowtowing.

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