UK lawmaker becomes first to be barred from Hong Kong since 1997 handover
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat candidate for Bath, speaks after retaining her 2024 seat, accessed on 13 April 2025. (Getty Images)
British MP Wera Hobhouse has become the first U.K. parliamentarian since 1997 to be refused entry into Hong Kong, sparking diplomatic tension between London and Beijing.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed deep concern over the incident and pledged to “urgently raise this with the authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing to demand an explanation.”
Hobhouse, 65, a Liberal Democrat who has represented her constituency since 2017, was reportedly traveling to visit her newborn grandson when she was stopped by immigration officials on Thursday.
“When I was given the decision, my voice was shaking, and I was just saying: ‘Why, please explain to me?'” Hobhouse told The Sunday Times.
MP had passport confiscated during hours-long detention at airport
According to the newspaper, officials confiscated her passport, questioned her about her occupation and travel purposes, searched her luggage, and escorted her to a departure gate.
In a statement on Bluesky, Hobhouse wrote, “I am the first MP to be refused entry on arrival to Hong Kong since 1997. Authorities gave me no explanation for this cruel and upsetting blow. I hope the foreign secretary will recognize that this is an insult to all parliamentarians and seek answers.”
Hobhouse is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group that describes itself as uniting lawmakers worldwide to promote democracy and address “threats to the rules-based and human rights systems posed by the rise of China.”
The incident comes just one week after two British Labour MPs were blocked from entering Israel and deported.
“As I made clear earlier this week, it would be unacceptable for an MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views as a parliamentarian,” Lammy said. “Unjustified restrictions on freedom of movement can only serve to further undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation.”
The Hong Kong government has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The diplomatic row unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing political transformation in Hong Kong. The city’s Democratic Party, once the main opposition force but now without seats in government, is meeting Sunday to discuss possible dissolution, following procedures that began in February.
The party’s decline comes amid Beijing’s national security crackdown following the 2019 protests that paralyzed the financial hub.
In recent years, China has further restricted elections and imprisoned democracy advocates in the former British colony, which was handed back to China in 1997.
