Home   News   National   Article

‘No decision’ on diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics, No 10 says


By PA News

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg (Victoria Jones/PA)

Boris Johnson is yet to decide whether there should be a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in response to China’s human rights record.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg told MPs that “no tickets have been booked” for the games in February.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China claimed the statement amounted to confirmation of a UK Government boycott, but No 10 insisted no decision had been made.

In the Commons, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “The Government have been very clear about the human rights abuses against the Uighurs, and about what has been going on in Hong Kong and the failure of the communist government of China to follow the joint declaration that was agreed in the 1980s.

“The whole issue of religious toleration – so not just the Uighurs, but what has happened in Tibet – is rightly raised very regularly in this House, and it is right that the communist government are reminded of their moral obligations.

“However, the UK Government have long had a policy of thinking that sporting boycotts do not work and that it is a matter for the International Olympic Committee to decide whether the athletes go.”

“As regards whether Government ministers would wish to go to the People’s Republic of China,” Mr Rees-Mogg said “no tickets have been booked”.

The UK Government must now go one further and publicly confirm that no ministers, diplomats or other British officials will attend the games. We cannot lend any legitimacy to China’s despotic regime
Sir Iain Duncan Smith

His comments were prompted by a question from former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a prominent critic of the Beijing government.

Sir Iain said: “Today’s announcement that Government ministers are not planning to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, whilst welcome, isn’t as yet a clear public statement.

“The Games will take place while the Chinese government commits industrial-scale human rights abuses in the Uighur region, Tibet and sends near daily military incursions into Taiwan’s air space.

“Add to that their arrest of peaceful democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong and the list of human rights abuses is enormous.

“That is why the UK Government must now go one further and publicly confirm that no ministers, diplomats or other British officials will attend the games. We cannot lend any legitimacy to China’s despotic regime.”

A No 10 spokesman told reporters: “We have said that the Prime Minister’s long-standing view is that boycotts don’t work.

“Our position is the same: no decision has been made on Government representation at the games.”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

Keep up-to-date with important news from your community, and access exclusive, subscriber only content online. Read a copy of your favourite newspaper on any device via the HNM App.

Learn more


This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More