UK to review deportation order for former Hong Kong opposition leader Wu Chi-wai
The British government is re-examining an immigration order issued to a former Hong Kong political opposition leader that initially limited his visit to just one week.
Wu Chi-wai, formerly leader of the now-disbanded Democratic Party, arrived in Britain last week with the intention of reuniting with his wife and son in London.
His arrival follows his release in June from a prison sentence imposed under China’s national security law.
The decision to review the ruling comes amid concerns that it conflicts with Britain’s established policy towards its former colony.
Mr Wu’s lawyer said he was stopped by authorities when he arrived at Heathrow Airport and would only be allowed to stay for seven days.
His passport was also confiscated.
This incident contrasts with the UK’s broader stance since the introduction of comprehensive national security legislation in Hong Kong in 2020, which has seen the British government facilitate the resettlement of many Hong Kong residents by easing residence conditions for British National (Overseas) passport holders.
But lawyer Paul Harris said Wu was told on Monday that Border Force officials were now “reconsidering the case”.
The UK home office has declined to comment on individual cases beyond saying it remains fully committed to members of the Hong Kong community in Britain.
Wu’s treatment caused alarm among members of the Hong Kong community in Britain.
Hong Kong’s history as a British colony means many families have close ties to relatives in Britain who settled in the years before 1997, when control of Hong Kong passed from Britain to China.
In February, the British government estimated that the easing of passport rules meant 170,000 Hong Kongers had moved since 2021, with a further 26,000 Hong Kongers expected within five years under further easing.
Why was Wu Chi-Wai ordered deported?
A prominent Hong Kong democracy activist who was recently released from prison faces potential removal from the UK this week after just seven days on immigration bail. Wu, the former chairman of Hong Kong’s once-largest opposition party, was one of 47 activists who crushed the city’s democracy movement under Beijing’s national security law in 2021.
Wu, who was sentenced to four years and five months in prison in 2024 for conspiring against an unofficial primary election, was released last month to join his family in the United Kingdom.
Although he had previously contacted the British consulate about his criminal record, London border officials last Wednesday suspected he was seeking long-term residence.
Wu was eventually allowed entry, but he said the seven-day bail meant he could be issued as early as Wednesday, jeopardizing the months he would spend with his family.
