Sir Keir Starmer raised the case of jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a landmark meeting with Xi Jinping on Monday, signalling he is prepared to challenge China over human rights abuses. It comes despite the prime minister’s plans to build a closer relationship with with Beijing after becoming the first British prime minister to meet the Chinese leader in more than half a decade,

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised concerns over human rights and Taiwan in his first meeting with President Xi Jinping, prompting Chinese officials to usher journalists out of the room.