PM’S father criticised for call to end China envoy ban

STANLEY JOHNSON, the prime minister’s father, has been accused of “advancing the interests of a genocidal regime” after he called for a parliamentary visitation restriction on the Chinese ambassador to be lifted.

Mr Johnson made the remarks ahead of a controversial trip to Xinjiang, home to the persecuted Uyghur minority, as he attempts to retrace the steps of Marco Polo on a six-week trip along the Chinese Silk Road.

Mr Johnson said Zheng Zeguang, the Chinese ambassador to Britain, was a very “agreeable, capable and intelligent man”.

“I would very much hope that by the time Parliament returns, these bans will no longer be in place,” Mr Johnson said.

Britain banned Mr Zeguang from entering Parliament last year in response to sanctions by Beijing against five Conservative MPS and two peers over their action against human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Mr Johnson’s statements contradict the Prime Minister’s push to increase pressure on China over rights abuses against the Uyghur minority.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Nusrat Ghani and Tim Loughton said in a statement that he was “advancing the interests

‘It is sad that he so blatantly uses his family ties for such selfish and selfserving reasons’

of a brutal Chinese regime that is committing genocide on the Uyghurs”.

“It is sad that he so blatantly uses his family ties for such selfish and self-serving reasons,” they added. “As any decent person might remark, a period of silence from him would be most welcome.”

When questioned on the backlash, Mr Johnson told the South China Morning Post: “I am not going to comment on this. I don’t live in this world of people saying this and people saying that.”

The Prime Minister’s half-brother, Max, intends to travel with his father as they traverse the Xinjiang region.

Beijing claims it is fighting terrorism in the region.

State broadcaster CCTV is expected to join them for part of the journey.

Beijing, which has denied all accusations regarding Xinjiang, has accused its detractors of “maliciously spreading lies and disinformation”.

Mr Johnson said he was pleased to be working with China and that the trip was “not a political exercise”.