Labour peer who had sanctions lifted by China says it's 'meagre return' for UK

A Labour peer against whom sanctions have been lifted by China during Sir Keir Starmer's visit to Beijing says the move is a "meagre return" from the trip.

Baroness Helena Kennedy KC was among seven parliamentarians sanctioned by China in 2021 for accusing the country of human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority.

The prime minister announced the sanctions had been lifted after talks with President Xi Jinping.

But Baroness Kennedy said that raising the case of Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai was more important than lifting the sanctions. The media tycoon, a British citizen, was found guilty of colluding with foreign forces under a controversial national security law.

Speaking to the BBC's World Tonight programme, Baroness Kennedy said she was pleased the Labour government had secured concessions where Conservative leaders, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson, had not but said she had hoped for more.