Boris Johnson fights off revolt over China genocide ruling from his own Tory party after calls for Britain to judge Uygur treatment
- Lawmakers from the PM’s party were pressing for UK judges to be able to rule if Uygurs in Xinjiang were facing genocide, a proposal that was narrowly defeated
- Ministers said the measure would lead to vexatious court claims and would be counterproductive since the threshold to prove genocide is so high
Prime Minister Boris Johnson defeated a rebellion by his own lawmakers on Tuesday after they pressed for British judges to be able to rule on whether China’s Muslim Uygur minority is suffering genocide.
The House of Commons narrowly voted down an amendment to a proposed law on international trade agreements which would have allowed victims to ask the High Court in London to rule on claims of genocide against potential trading partners, including China. The government would have had to consider pulling out of trade deals with the states involved.
Lawmakers voted by 319 to 308 to reject the amendment, cutting into Johnson’s working majority of 87 and reflecting the strength of feeling in his Conservative Party about Britain’s ties to China.
“Uygurs are victims of alleged genocide and have been denied justice for many years,” Tory rebel Iain Duncan Smith told Parliament. “We all agree that the courts have to make the decision, it’s not for individual politicians to do so,” he said. And if the courts find against Beijing, “why would we be doing a trade deal with a country that is guilty of genocide?” he asked.
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UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab on Hong Kong activists and Xinjiang Uygurs
The amendment’s supporters said it was a chance for Britain to lead the world on human rights in post-Brexit trade deals. But ministers said the measure would lead to vexatious court claims and would be counterproductive since the threshold to prove genocide is so high.