Britain defends China actions over consulate brawl involving Hong Kong protester

Britain on Sunday defended its measured response to an incident in Manchester when Chinese diplomats were accused of beating up a Hong Kong protester.

Anti-China hardliners in the ruling Conservative Party have demanded expulsions of the diplomats involved, accusing the UK government of appeasing Beijing.

But Foreign Secretary James Cleverly insisted that it was right to await a police investigation into the Manchester incident from October, rather than acting on the basis of widely shared video.

“Our diplomatic decisions will always be based on rule of law and due process,” he told BBC television, drawing a contrast to other countries that might act without evidence.

“We will make sure our response is robust but is demonstrably based on rules,” he said, after the diplomats were accused of dragging the protester into the consulate grounds to beat him up.

Cleverly said that similarly, the government needed more evidence on reported “secret” Chinese police stations operating on UK soil.