Senior Tory accuses Government of ‘being opaque’ over Chinese consulate attack

Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the Government’s ‘firm diplomacy and our actions demonstrate the seriousness with which we took this incident’.

Bob Chan, the Hong Kong protester allegedly assaulted at the Chinese consulate in Manchester, attends a press conference in central London (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

A senior Conservative MP has accused the Government of “being opaque” over the investigation into the Chinese consulate attack on protestors in the UK.

Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns, asked a Commons urgent question after China pulled out six officials wanted for police questioning over the assault of a protester outside the nation’s consulate in Manchester.

The MP for Rutland and Melton said she could not “identify any meaningful action” the Government has taken “beyond giving them notice to flee this country”.

Responding, Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the Government’s “firm diplomacy and our actions demonstrate the seriousness with which we took this incident”.

Ms Kearns told MPs: “The consul general and five others brutalised a refugee on British soil and, rather than being expelled or prosecuted, they’ve been allowed to slip off – to flee like cowards – which makes their guilt even more evident.

“By giving a week’s notice to them, which goes so far beyond the Vienna convention, we have essentially denied Bob Chan any sense of justice.

“At this point, I’m afraid the Government is being opaque and I cannot identify any meaningful action that they have taken beyond giving them notice to flee this country and essentially allowing the Chinese Communist Party now to claim that it was simply the end of the diplomats’ term in Britain.

“They were not removed, they were not expelled, it was just time for them to leave our country.

“I am not asking the Government to be tough for toughness sake; justice is needed to deter future action and to make sure that we stand by the refugees who come to this country for safety.”

Ms Trevelyan said: “In response to our request, the Chinese embassy, acting on instruction from Beijing, notified His Majesty’s Government earlier this week that they have removed the consul general from the UK.

“The embassy also notified us that five other staff identified for interview from the incident by Greater Manchester Police have either now left or are about to leave the UK.”

She added: “As the Foreign Secretary said yesterday, we are disappointed that these individuals will not be interviewed. It is therefore right that those identified by the police as involved in the disgraceful scenes in Manchester are no longer or will shortly cease to be consular staff accredited to the UK.

“Throughout this process, we have been clear that in the UK we adhere to the rule of law, we follow due process and respect the operational independence of our police. Our firm diplomacy and our actions demonstrate the seriousness with which we took this incident and the correct outcome which has now been reached.

“The UK will always use our diplomacy to demonstrate the importance of abiding by the rule of law and we expect others to do the same.”

Ms Trevelyan said she was “shocked, as all members of this House were, to see the disturbing social media footage of violence” in Manchester that day.

She added: “The right of free expression, the right to protest peacefully, the right to speak one’s mind free from the fear or threat of violence is an absolutely fundamental part of our democratic life here in the UK.”

She added: “We have been clear with China from the outset that we would take firm action should the police determine that there was a need to interview officials regarding their involvement in the incident.

“We rightly expect the highest standard of behaviour from all foreign diplomats and consular staff in the UK, regardless of their privileges and immunities.”

Shadow Foreign Office minister Catherine West said the Government has given the impression “of dither and delay” in its actions and asked “whether the officials removed by the Chinese government will be declared persona non grata to send a clear message of our dissatisfaction at their unwillingness to engage with the investigation”.

Ms Trevelyan added: “The consul general left the UK first and we have been informed that of the remaining five, the last few, and I am not sure if it is two or three, it is not a number I have… we are waiting on a update from the Chinese embassy later today that all of those five have left the UK.”