James Cleverly says he has raised human rights concerns with China

The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, in China to meet government officials, has faced criticism from members of the Tory benches who want a tougher line against a state that has passed sanctions against several British MPs and peers for speaking out about human rights violations in the country. Speaking to Sky News, the foreign secretary said he had raised human rights issues with Chinese officials. Pressed over violations in Xinjiang province, he said: ‘I’ve had a number of conversations with senior representatives of the Chinese government, and I have raised human rights in every single one of those meetings’

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