Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, today denied he was “leaning” to allow Chinese officials to attend the Queen’s state ceremony at Westminster Hall.
There has been confusion over whether Chinese representatives should be allowed to view Her Majesty’s casket following Beijing’s approval of MPs and colleagues last year.
It had previously been suggested that Chinese officials would not be allowed access to the parliamentary estate ahead of the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
This is despite the fact that other foreign dignitaries are invited to attend the state ceremony.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry suggested Britain failed to show “good manners to guests.”
With the threat of a diplomatic row breaking out, parliamentary sources have now suggested that – should a Chinese delegation wish to attend the state abuser – they should be allowed to do so.
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday.
Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a leading critic of China, suggested “huge pressure” had been put on Sir Lindsay and Lords Speaker, Lord McFall, to avoid a dispute with Beijing.
But Sir Lindsay this morning denied those claims, insisting that China’s ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, and other accredited Chinese diplomats would uphold a parliamentary ban.
This suggested that, should Vice President Wang wish to attend Westminster Hall before Monday’s service, he might do so as a representative of the Chinese head of state – but Ambassador Zheng and other formal Chinese diplomats are still not welcome in parliament.
In September last year, the Chinese ambassador was banned from attending an event in parliament in retaliation for Beijing’s sanctions against MPs and colleagues.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, denied today that he was “leaning” to allow Chinese officials to attend the Queen’s lie-in.
With the threat of a diplomatic row breaking out, parliamentary sources have now suggested that – should a Chinese delegation wish to attend the state leg – they should be allowed to do so.
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday.
Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith reacted furiously to news that Chinese representatives would be allowed to attend the Queen’s berth
Sir Lindsay told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show: ‘I can say no one has leaned on me. Far from.
My opinion remains the same that we would not welcome a reception in Parliament and that is when I stopped the Ambassador and accredited Chinese from entering the House of Commons.
“Let’s be clear, holding a reception in the House of Commons when MPs and a colleague have been sanctioned is not acceptable.
My vision remains the same and nothing has changed.
“But this isn’t about the politics of a moment, this is about the sadness we all share rather than being overshadowed.
“But as I said – I repeat – the sanction against those accredited officials remains in place and will remain so.
‘There is a very simple answer: lift the sanction, then we can also see if we should have a reception in Parliament. But that’s not going to happen right now.’
Sir Iain, a former Conservative leader, had reacted furiously to news that Chinese representatives would be allowed to attend the Queen’s state meeting at Westminster Hall.
“It is clear and obvious that the establishment relied on the Speakers to give way,” said the ex-cabinet minister. Telegraph.
“The people who ultimately win are the Chinese Communist Party, a brutal, dictatorial and anti-human rights organization, and all we have done is give them another win.
“Looks like appeasement is back, alive and well in the British establishment.”
A State Department source denied the claim, telling the newspaper: “The government has not pressured the chairman.”
It has been suggested that questions of access to Westminster Hall during the Queen’s dedication have been complicated by the fact that jurisdiction over the space is shared between the Lord Great Chamberlain – who is appointed by the monarch – and the speakers of the Commons and the lords.
A number of MPs have criticized the invitation to Chinese President Xi to the Queen’s funeral, which is coming just 18 months after the House of Commons declared that Uyghurs and other minorities in China’s Xinjiang region are subject to genocide.
China last year sanctioned a series of MPs – including Sir Iain – and colleagues for condemning the country’s actions in Xinjiang.