Cross-party group of 50 UK parliamentarians, including former Foreign Secretary condemns “breach of international law” by China in Hong Kong

Responding to events last night, including the shooting of an 18 year old protester, a cross-party group of over 50 UK parliamentarians, including the former Foreign Secretary has today signed a joint statement saying that China is in breach of international law. The statement urges the Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP to make a clear statement that China has ‘demonstrably contravened the provisions of the Sino-British Declaration’, an international treaty signed in 1984 by the British and Chinese Governments which is lodged with the United Nations. The statement has been co-ordinated by Fight for Freedom: Stand with Hong Kong, an independent, grassroots, crowdfunded NGO. 

Signatories include the former Foreign Secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, another former Cabinet minister (Alistair Carmichael MP), the Chair of the International Development Committee as well as oppositions spokespersons on foreign affairs, international development and defence.

Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP, former Cabinet Minister, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip and a patron of 'Hong Kong Watch' today said:

“It is clear that in its brutal repression of human rights in Hong Kong, not least the use of live ammunition against protesters, China is now in breach of international law. It is not enough to simply raise this issue bilaterally, I urge the Foreign Secretary to prepare a range of economic and political measures in to ensure that all Hong Kong citizens, including those with British passports, have their freedoms and basic rights upheld, including universal suffrage. I urge restraint and condemn violence on all sides.”

The joint declaration reads as follows: 

“We call on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to make a clear statement that in its handling of events in Hong Kong, China has demonstrably contravened the provisions of the Sino-British Declaration and as such is in breach of international law.”

Ends

The full list of signatories is:

1.      Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat)

2.      Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

3.      Sir David Amess MP (Conservative, Southend West)

4.      Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat, Orkney and Shetland)*

5.      Sarah Champion MP (Labour, Rotherham)

6.      Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat)

7.      Baroness Cox (Crossbench)

8.      John Cruddas MP (Labour, Dagenham and Rainham)

9.      Lord Dholakia (Liberal Democrat)

10.  David Drew MP (Labour, Stroud)

11.  Lord Dubs (Labour)

12.  Mike Gapes MP (The Independent Group for Change)**

13.  Lord Geddes (Conservative)

14.  Preet Gill MP (Labour, Birmingham Edgbaston)***Shadow Minister for International Development

15.  John Grogan MP (Labour, Keighley)

16.  Lord Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat)

17.  Helen Hayes MP (Labour, Dulwich and West Norwood)

18.  Kate Hoey MP (Labour, Vauxhall)

19.  Baroness Hooper (Conservative)

20.  Lord Hylton (Crossbench)

21.  Christine Jardine MP (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh West)****

22.  Baroness Jolly (Liberal Democrat)

23.  Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat)

24.  Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green)

25.  Pauline Latham MP (Conservative, Mid Derbyshire)*****

26.  Emma Lewell-Buck MP (Labour, South Shields)

27.  Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour)

28.  Tim Loughton MP (Conservative, East Worthing and Shoreham)

29.  Caroline Lucas (Green Party, Brighton Pavilion)

30.  Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist)

31.  Kerry McCarthy MP (Labour, Bristol East)

32.  Stewart McDonald MP (Scottish Nationalist Party, Glasgow South)

33.  Baroness Meacher (Crossbenc)

34.  Layla Moran MP (Liberal Democrat, Oxford West and Abingdon)

35.  Lord O’Neill of Clackmannan (Labour)

36.  Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (Liberal Democrat)

37.  Steve Reed MP (Labour, Croydon North)

38.  Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat)

39.  The Viscount Ridley (Conservative)

40.  Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC (Conservative), former Foreign Secretary

41.  Virendra Sharma MP (Labour, Ealing Southall)

42.  Angela Smith MP (Liberal Democrat, Penistone and Stocksbridge)

43.  Henry Smith MP (Conservative, Crawley)

44.  Lord Steel (Liberal Democrat)

45.  Jamie Stone MP (Liberal Democrat, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)

46.  Wes Streeting MP (Labour, Ilford North)

47.  Lord Swinfen (Conservative)

48.  Stephen Twigg MP (Labour, Liverpool West Derby)******

49.  Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat)

50.  Lord Watson of Invergorie (Labour)

51.  Catherine West (Labour, Hornsey and Wood Green)*******

*Liberal Democrat Chief Whip

**Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Defence

*** Shadow Minister for International Development

*** Spokesperson for Defence

**** Member, Select Committee on International Development

***** Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

******Chair, Select Committee on International Development

*******Member, Select Committee on Foreign Affairs