The UK government has expressed serious concern after British MP Wera Hobhouse was denied entry to Hong Kong, during a personal trip to visit her newborn grandson.
Hobhouse, 65, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday only to be detained, interrogated, and deported hours later. She was travelling with her husband to meet her three-month-old grandson for the first time. While her husband was granted entry, he chose to return with her after she was denied access.
UK officials are now pressing for answers. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the government was “greatly concerned” by the incident and is seeking “a full account” of what occurred.
No Official Reason Given for Deportation
According to Hobhouse, her passport was confiscated upon arrival. She was questioned about her occupation and the purpose of her visit, and her luggage was searched and swabbed before being escorted to a departure gate by four immigration officers.
“I was just saying: ‘Why, please explain to me.’ They never gave me an explanation. That was so cruel,” she told The Sunday Times. “I just wanted to cuddle my grandson. I didn’t cry but I was very close to tears.”
This was Hobhouse’s first-ever visit to Hong Kong. Her son, an academic who has lived there since 2019, was waiting in the arrivals hall.
Parliamentarians Link Incident to Human Rights Advocacy
Hobhouse is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), a cross-party international group critical of China’s human rights record. She believes her role as an MP and her affiliation with Ipac may have triggered the refusal.
In a joint statement, several Ipac-affiliated British MPs condemned the incident and urged Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to take “a very strong stand” against what they described as a threat to democratic freedoms.
“Detained and deported without explanation, Hobhouse’s exclusion appears linked to her criticism of Beijing’s human rights record,” they said.
UK–China Diplomacy Undermined by Incident
The deportation comes at a sensitive moment, coinciding with visits by UK ministers to China and Hong Kong to discuss trade and investment. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Foreign Secretary David Lammy to summon the Chinese ambassador and demand an explanation.
“It is deeply concerning to hear that an MP on a personal trip has been refused entry to Hong Kong,” said Lammy, pledging to raise the matter with Hong Kong and Beijing officials.
Hobhouse is believed to be the first sitting British MP refused entry to Hong Kong since the territory’s 1997 handover to China.
