Starmer’s Beijing test: Free Jimmy Lai, not chase Xi’s empty promises
- Posted on January 28, 2026
- By The Independent
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Starmer’s Beijing test: Free Jimmy Lai, not chase Xi’s empty promises
China’s most feared critic and a British citizen, Lai has now spent more than five years in prison, much of it in solitary confinement. As Keir Starmer heads to Beijing, securing the media tycoon’s release would show that UK influence still matters in an age of authoritarian power, says Mark L Clifford
