Labour was last night accused of betraying opponents of China who have fled to Britain by opening the door to extraditions to Hong Kong.
Critics fear a legal change quietly announced by the Government will end the five-year ban on people being sent from the UK to face justice in the former colony.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said he wanted to 'enable co-operation' with Hong Kong once more, after the Tories suspended the extradition treaty in response to a security crackdown by Beijing amid fears that dissidents could be sent on to China.
He wrote in a letter to the Conservatives that secondary legislation was needed, removing Hong Kong from its designation in the 2003 Extradition Act, so the UK can co-operate with it on a 'case-by-case ad hoc basis'.
Currently a request cannot be allowed 'even if there were strong operational grounds to do so', Mr Jarvis wrote.
