Tories accuse ‘Establishment’ of ‘kowtowing’ to Chinese leaders

The Government has been accused of “appeasing” China by allowing its leaders to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith claimed that the “Establishment” had “leant” on the House of Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, to get him to admit a Chinese delegation to Westminster Hall.

It follows several days of confusion about whether the delegation would be able to attend the lying in state.

Earlier in the week, MPs sanctioned by China said they had been assured by Sir Lindsay that Chinese officials would not be given access.

However, on Saturday a Parliamentary spokesman said that foreign representatives “invited to attend the state funeral in Westminster Abbey are also invited to attend the lying in state”.

Sir Iain told The Telegraph that he believed “enormous pressure” had been put on Sir Lindsay, as well as the Lords Speaker, Lord McFall, to avoid a diplomatic incident.

“It’s clear and obvious that the Establishment leant on the Speakers to give way,” he said.

“The people that win at the end of the day, are the Chinese Communist party which is a brutal, dictatorial and anti-human rights organisation and all we’ve done is given them another victory.”

He added: “It looks like appeasement is back, alive and well in the British Establishment.”

A Foreign Office source denied the claim, saying: “The Government did not put pressure on the Speaker.”

The Telegraph understands that protocol about access to Westminster Hall during the lying in state has been complicated by the fact that jurisdiction over the space is shared between the Lord Great Chamberlain – who is appointed by the monarch – and the speakers of the Commons and the Lords.

A spokesman for Sir Lindsay said that a decision taken last year to ban the Chinese ambassador from entering Parliament remained in place.

World leaders descend on London

Elsewhere, Joe Biden, the US President, has delayed a formal meeting with Liz Truss until after Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in order to concentrate on paying his respects.

Mr Biden had originally been due to visit Ms Truss in Downing Street on Sunday but instead the meeting will take place at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York on Wednesday.

The White House said Mr Biden and his wife Jill, who arrived in London late on Saturday night, would pay their respects to the late Queen in person before signing the official book of condolence at Lancaster House.

During a hectic 48-hour stay in London they will then attend a reception hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening and will fly back to the US after the funeral on Monday.

On Saturday, Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, was one of the first world leaders to attend the late Queen’s lying in state.

As hundreds of foreign dignitaries began arriving in London for the biggest ever gathering of world leaders on British soil, Mr Trudeau and his wife Sophie joined mourners in Westminster Hall before signing the book of condolence. Foreign dignitaries are allowed to use a special VIP lane rather than queueing with the public.

He said he was in Britain to “pay tribute to [a] lifetime of public service” from the monarch who was Canada’s head of state.

Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, was another of the heads of government of the Commonwealth realms to visit Westminster Hall.

He started the day by laying a bouquet of white flowers in Green Park, joining countless other floral tributes from the public, together with his partner Jodie Haydon.

He said his visit was about “commemorating a life well-lived”, adding: “It’s a great honour to be representing Australia here. Quite clearly, what we can see all around us is the affection in which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was held by people here in the United Kingdom, but also, of course, in Australia and right around the Commonwealth.”

Mr Albanese has said he will not allow a referendum on whether Australia should become a republic in his current term as Prime Minister.

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, and Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, also signed the book of condolence. Mr Browne has said he wants to hold a referendum on replacing King Charles III as his country’s Head of State within three years.

Mr Albanese and Mr Trudeau were among leaders of the Commonwealth realms who met the King at a reception in Buckingham Palace at 3.45pm on Saturday. They were joined by Ms Ardern, Andrew Holness, the Jamaican Prime Minister, and Philip Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas.

Earlier in the day, the King held a reception and lunch at 1pm for a dozen Governors General of the Commonwealth realms, who are his official representatives in foreign countries of which he is Head of State.

They included his representatives in Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Belize and St Lucia.

The Metropolitan Police has said that the global operation to guard so many world leaders in London is the biggest in its history, and that the policing of the funeral will also be the biggest policing operation ever in the UK.

The police are alert to the possibility of protests against the attendance of some leaders, particularly those with poor records on human rights.

Wang Qishan, China’s vice president, will represent his country at the funeral despite ongoing accusations that China is guilty of human rights abuses and even genocide in relation to Uighur Muslims.

There has also been criticism of the decision to invite Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman after the CIA concluded that he had authorised the murder and dismemberment of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.

The leaders of Russia, Belarus, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria and North Korea were not invited to the funeral.

Other presidents and heads of government arriving over the weekend include Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Yoon Suk-yeol, president of South Korea and Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa.

As well as heads of government, foreign royal families have started arriving for the funeral. Among the congregation at Westminster Abbey will be King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Carl XVI and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan and Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

The King of Tonga, the Sultan of Brunei and the King and Queen of Belgium will also be in the Abbey, and the New Zealand delegation will include the Maori king, Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII.

Emperor Naruhito’s visit will be his first trip abroad since he ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. Japanese emperors do not traditionally attend funerals for religious reasons. It will be only the second time an emperor of Japan has done so, after former Emperor Akihito travelled to Belgium for the funeral of King Baudouin in 1993.

The rare trip is a sign of the families’ close ties over three generations. The imperial couple were scheduled to arrive at London Stansted Airport on Saturday and will stay at Claridge’s hotel.

During her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II visited 117 countries, travelling the equivalent of 42 times around the circumference of the Earth. Her last foreign trip was to Malta in 2015, the island where she and Prince Philip lived early in their marriage.

Mr Albanese also met Ms Truss at Chevening, the country retreat of the Foreign Secretary – which is being used by the Prime Minister while Chequers is being renovated – along with Ms Ardern.

On Sunday, Ms Truss will hold one-to-one meetings in Downing Street with Mr Trudeau, Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland and Micheal Martin, the Irish Taoiseach.