Rushcliffe

Statement

James Naish (Labour Party):

As the Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate in Rushcliffe, I am conscious that there are lots of new families moving to the area from overseas. For those who are less familiar with the Labour Party, I wanted to ensure that you and your neighbours feel informed and able to participate in the forthcoming election on 04 July.

The Labour Party has existed for almost 125 years, growing out of a movement to promote workers’ rights. As a democratic party, we support the right of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, and will robustly defend this at all times. This will include defending the United Kingdom against any foreign interference in the democratic process which is central to our country’s rich history; and clearly calling out concerns when human rights aren’t being respected.

We are also strong advocates of high-quality education as the foundation for a democratic country. This is reflected in our policy commitments at this election to boost early language skills; to improve the use of data to diagnose additional educational needs; to employ 6,500 more teachers in schools; and to provide a broader and richer curriculum alongside a strong core of literacy and numeracy.

As a Party, we supported the British National (Overseas) visa scheme. We have led calls for the expansion of this scheme in recent years to include new population groups and to automatically include those under the age of 18. We will continue to do this and to advocate for the extension of these visas now that the UK has become a new home for so many people.

As a Council Leader in Nottinghamshire, I have been involved in arranging events at our Town Hall with a range of partners to provide free guidance about housing, jobs, health services, schools and other critical services. We have arranged for a specific booklet to be produced to help new arrivals to the UK and hosted a free Multicultural Festival last September to promote our growing diversity. The Labour Party celebrates the significant contribution that international communities have made – and continue to make – to the UK.

If elected as your MP, I will work hard to address day-to-day challenges such as finding quality work, to make sure that everyone has the chance to flourish in the UK. I will also actively work with my parliamentary colleagues to highlight and challenge international practices which are intended to intimidate, limit democracy, reduce freedoms and prevent full integration into Britain.

I hope this helps to explain a bit more about the Labour Party and its history, and that you will feel able to support us on 04 July if you are eligible to vote.

Ruth Edwards (Conservative Party):

The Conservatives have rightly and consistently stood up for the people of Hong Kong, called out violations of their rights and freedoms, and holding China to its international obligations.

As you will know, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in Beijing adopted a wide-ranging National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong in June 2020. This was a grave and deeply disturbing step. The UK Government carefully assessed the legislation and found that its enactment, imposed on the people of Hong Kong by Beijing, constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Signed in 1984 and still in effect today, the Joint Declaration made clear that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, rights and freedoms would remain unchanged for 50 years from the handover of the city in 1997. As a result of China’s ongoing actions to harass and stifle all voices critical of its policies, the UK now considers China to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration.

It is crystal clear that the powers under the NSL are being used as a tool to curtail freedoms and punish dissent, rather than keep public order, as is their stated intention. This has meant that alternative voices in Hong Kong’s executive, legislature, civil society as evidenced in the arrest of the Hong Kong 47 and media have been all but extinguished.

On Article 23 specifically, I believe this will further damage the rights and freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong, enabling the authorities to continue their clampdown on freedoms, including freedom of speech, assembly and media. It fails to provide certainty for international organisations, including diplomatic missions, operating in Hong Kong. The UK Government also estimates that the NSL will negatively affect those who live, work and do business there.

The UK recognises the right of all jurisdictions to implement national security legislation, Hong Kong is also required to ensure that laws align with international standards, rights and norms as set out in UN treaties, the Sino-British joint declaration and the Hong Kong Basic Law. The British Government has urged the Hong Kong authorities to respect rights and freedoms, uphold Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the rule of law, and act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations.

On the Jimmy Lai case, I am gravely concerned that anyone is facing prosecution under the National Security Law, and I share the UK Government's particular concern at the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai. As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Mr Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Ministers have raised Mr Lai's case with Chinese officials on a number of occasions, and most recently, on 18 December 2023, the Foreign Secretary made a statement calling on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution and release Mr Lai.

Nevertheless, the UK has taken a number of measures in response to the situation in Hong Kong, including the bespoke immigration route for BN(O)s, the suspension of the UK-Hong Kong extradition treaty, and the extension of the arms embargo applied to China to Hong Kong.

The UK will always support Hong Kongers, which is why we introduced a new immigration path for BN(O)s that reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to those people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up BN(O) status at the point of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. This is an unprecedented offer following China’s passing of the NSL. Since the situation that BN(O) status holders find themselves in has changed, it is right that their rights and entitlements in the UK change too. The new immigration path offers a choice that affords long-term safety and stability for these individuals and their families.

On the UK's relationship with China, the recent pattern of behaviour directed by China against the UK, including cyberattacks, reports of espionage links and the issuing of bounties is not acceptable.

The Conservative Government applied sanctions in response to Chinese state-affiliated organisations and individuals targeting malicious cyber campaigns at democratic institutions and parliamentarians in the UK. We will always defend ourselves from those who seek to threaten the freedoms that underpin our democracy.

In Government, the Conservatives have also imposed sanctions against Chinese government officials for gross human rights violations in Xinjiang. In June 2019, we also restricted the sale of crowd control equipment to Hong Kong.

Of course, we have a wonderful community of Hong Kongers here in Rushcliffe, many of whom I have helped with issues they have had with their BNO visa, and if re-elected I will continue to support them as they make their home in our community.

You can see a full list of all the candidates for the Rushcliffe constituency here.

Last updated: 4/7/2024