Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 February (HL2065), whether it remains their position that no British nationals have been named co-conspirators by the prosecution in Jimmy Lai’s National Security Law trial in Hong Kong.

The prosecution in Mr Lai's politically motivated trial has sought to highlight Mr Lai's relationships with foreign nationals; including British nationals. As we have made clear the naming of any British national in this trial is unacceptable. None are named as co-conspirators on Mr Lai's charge sheet. In the prosecution's opening statement British nationals Mr Luke de Pulford and Mr Bill Browder have been referenced as individuals Mr Lai "conspired with" amongst others. In the same statement, Mr Benedict Rogers and Mr de Pulford have been referenced as individuals Mr Lai "collaborated with, gave instructions to and/or relayed or received information among a network of persons acting as agents and/or intermediaries in particular for the purposes of requesting sanctions, etc". The judges in the trial have not yet ruled on the prosecution's claims. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific has met with several of the individuals and we have made clear our concerns to the Chinese authorities.