“This government has lost it completely when it comes to China.”
Home Office is amending legislation to “enable cooperation” between the UK and Hong Kong on matters of extradition.
The previous Tory government suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 2020 after China imposed its tough national security law on Hong Kong.
The move by Labour has been branded an “act of betrayal” of the some 150,000 Hong Kongers who came to Britain under a special visa scheme launched in early 2021.
“This is another act of betrayal by the present British Labour Government … Chasing stupid money from China is never going to work.”
But national security minister Dan Jarvis vowed that the Government “will never allow a situation where Hong Kongers or any other nationality is extradited for politically motivated purposes” — 
don’t be naive… Hong Kong authorities can pin any crime on their targets
The Hong Kong national security law criminalizes anything considered to be secessionist from China, and has led to a crackdown on critics of Beijing. It has also allowed cases, in certain circumstances, to be tried in mainland China.
Jarvis announced that Chile, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong were being redesignated “to enable cooperation under the Extradition Act 2003”.
In a letter to Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, he wrote: “It is in our national interest to have effective extradition relationships to prevent criminals from evading justice and the UK becoming a haven for fugitives.”
He suggested that changes needed to be made as no extradition to Hong Kong can currently be agreed “even if there were strong operational grounds to do so”.
The Government has insisted the move would not lead to a restoration of extradition cooperation with Hong Kong, but was a necessary legal step to allow the “severing of ties”.
But including Hong Kong in the Extradition Act will provide a pathway to extradition of Hong Kongers for the first time since the previous treaty was suspended.
All extradition requests received by Britain are considered by the UK courts, and if judged to be politically motivated the request would be deemed incompatible with human rights laws.
It comes as the Government has sought to develop closer links with Beijing, which Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has said will be “crucial” for economic growth.
Lord Sumption, a British judge, resigned from Hong Kong’s highest court last year, warning that the rule of law there was “profoundly compromised”.
shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns: “Reinstating extradition with Hong Kong is morally indefensible. The Chinese Communist Party has turned Hong Kong into a surveillance state where freedom of expression, rule of law, and basic civil liberties are systematically dismantled … This move risks legitimising a regime that imprisons critics, silences democracy activists, and uses extradition as a tool of persecution … The Government must immediately abandon this proposal and guarantee that no Hong Konger will ever be sent to face justice in a system that has no justice to offer.”
Jarvis: “It is entirely incorrect to say the UK has restored extradition cooperation with Hong Kong. The 1997 treaty remains suspended and this legislation simply completes the severing of ties between the British and Hong Kong extradition systems. This amendment is in order to give legal effect to the suspension of the extradition treaty with Hong Kong … This government is unwavering in its commitment to upholding human rights, the rule of law, and the safety of all individuals in the UK, including the many Hong Kongers who have made this country their home … The UK is proud to have welcomed around 160,000 Hong Kongers since our British National (Overseas) route was opened in 2021. These communities are making a much-valued contribution across our country.”
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/
thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar
inews.co.uk/news/politics/
Home Office is amending legislation to “enable cooperation” between the UK and Hong Kong on matters of extradition.
The previous Tory government suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 2020 after China imposed its tough national security law on Hong Kong.
The move by Labour has been branded an “act of betrayal” of the some 150,000 Hong Kongers who came to Britain under a special visa scheme launched in early 2021.
“This is another act of betrayal by the present British Labour Government … Chasing stupid money from China is never going to work.”
But national security minister Dan Jarvis vowed that the Government “will never allow a situation where Hong Kongers or any other nationality is extradited for politically motivated purposes” — don’t be naive… Hong Kong authorities can pin any crime on their targets
The Hong Kong national security law criminalizes anything considered to be secessionist from China, and has led to a crackdown on critics of Beijing. It has also allowed cases, in certain circumstances, to be tried in mainland China.
Jarvis announced that Chile, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong were being redesignated “to enable cooperation under the Extradition Act 2003”.
In a letter to Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, he wrote: “It is in our national interest to have effective extradition relationships to prevent criminals from evading justice and the UK becoming a haven for fugitives.”
He suggested that changes needed to be made as no extradition to Hong Kong can currently be agreed “even if there were strong operational grounds to do so”.
The Government has insisted the move would not lead to a restoration of extradition cooperation with Hong Kong, but was a necessary legal step to allow the “severing of ties”.
But including Hong Kong in the Extradition Act will provide a pathway to extradition of Hong Kongers for the first time since the previous treaty was suspended.
All extradition requests received by Britain are considered by the UK courts, and if judged to be politically motivated the request would be deemed incompatible with human rights laws.
It comes as the Government has sought to develop closer links with Beijing, which Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has said will be “crucial” for economic growth.
Lord Sumption, a British judge, resigned from Hong Kong’s highest court last year, warning that the rule of law there was “profoundly compromised”.
shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns: “Reinstating extradition with Hong Kong is morally indefensible. The Chinese Communist Party has turned Hong Kong into a surveillance state where freedom of expression, rule of law, and basic civil liberties are systematically dismantled … This move risks legitimising a regime that imprisons critics, silences democracy activists, and uses extradition as a tool of persecution … The Government must immediately abandon this proposal and guarantee that no Hong Konger will ever be sent to face justice in a system that has no justice to offer.”
Jarvis: “It is entirely incorrect to say the UK has restored extradition cooperation with Hong Kong. The 1997 treaty remains suspended and this legislation simply completes the severing of ties between the British and Hong Kong extradition systems. This amendment is in order to give legal effect to the suspension of the extradition treaty with Hong Kong … This government is unwavering in its commitment to upholding human rights, the rule of law, and the safety of all individuals in the UK, including the many Hong Kongers who have made this country their home … The UK is proud to have welcomed around 160,000 Hong Kongers since our British National (Overseas) route was opened in 2021. These communities are making a much-valued contribution across our country.”
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/
thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar
inews.co.uk/news/politics/
Quote
Alicia Kearns MP
@aliciakearns
Government plans to reintroduce extradition cooperation with Hong Kong are highly concerning.
Why does the Government deem this reasonable when freedom of expression, political freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong have been crushed by The National Security Law and the
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