British judges have no place in Hong Kong

The Orwellian reports coming from Hong Kong will come as no surprise to those of us who have been watching its legal system deteriorate (New Hong Kong barristers’ chief warns profession to stay out of politics, 21 January). Since the draconian national security law was imposed in 2020, Beijing’s interference in Hong Kong has been increasingly flagrant. As shocking as the attack on the rule of law in Hong Kong is, we should also be asking why British judges are still propping up a broken system.

British judges have sat in Hong Kong’s court of final appeal since the territory was returned in 1997. But the deterioration of the city’s legal system means they are now lending a false veneer of respectability to Beijing’s campaign against human rights and political freedom.

The authorities in Hong Kong are no longer pretending to be on the side of democracy and justice. If British judges won’t stand themselves down in Hong Kong, then the president of the supreme court and the foreign secretary must remove British judges from Hong Kong immediately.
Siobhain McDonagh MP
Vice-chair, all-party parliamentary group on Hong Kong

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