All heads of state traveling to London for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral have been invited to join the lay-in-state at Westminster Hall and sign a book of condolence at Lancaster House ahead of Monday’s state funeral.
However, opening a new diplomatic rift with Beijing, a Chinese government delegation has been denied permission by House of Commons officials to attend the Queen’s State at Westminster Hall, London, Politico familiar with the matter said. Quoting a senior Parliamentarian, he said. , House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle fired off the new diplomatic defense when she told her aides that she declined a request from Chinese officials to allow her access to Westminster Hall, where the late Queen remains in the state until her funeral on Monday. I will lie Hoyle’s office said it did not comment on security matters, Politico reported.
It should be noted that Westminster Hall is part of the Palace of Westminster, over which the Speakers of the Commons and the Lords have authority.
This important development comes at a time when the UK government has tightened its stance on China. Britain’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss indicated during a Tory leadership debate that she would be more enthusiastic about Beijing than her predecessor, Boris Johnson.
As Politico reports, the truce raised its voice for formal recognition of the Uyghur genocide and reframed its long-standing foreign and defense strategy with strong language on China.
Britain’s attitude towards China was still highly visible when in August the then Foreign Secretary Truss summoned the Chinese ambassador over Beijing’s aggression towards Taiwan, saying “aggressive behavior on the part of Beijing in recent months and There has been rhetoric which threatens peace and stability in the region.”
In a similar example to the blocking of a Chinese delegation from Westminster Hall last year, Speakers of the Commons and Lords banned Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zheguang from entering parliament after Beijing banned several British politicians who were critical of it. are. Treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Invitations to the Queen’s funeral were prepared last week by the Office for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development. Chinese President Xi Jinping received an official invitation as China’s head of state, although he is not expected to attend in person.
Helena Kennedy, a Labor colleague who is among the politicians sanctioned by Beijing, said: “I think very strongly that Chinese government officials should be barred from participating in the occasion where the nation of Britain lives for our Queen. celebrating,” she said. , “They are attacking our parliamentary and constitutional system through the members of our legislature.”