While culture and business ministers are keen to attract Chinese visitors to the UK by “streamlining” the complex visa system, those responsible for safeguarding the borders are less enthusiastic, write Helen Warrell and Amie Tsang.

A private battle of wills between Jeremy Hunt, culture secretary, and Theresa May, home secretary, became public last week when a leaked letter from Mrs May’s private office to Downing Street made clear she would regard any relaxation of rules as a threat to national security.

As she argued that the Home Office had to deal with the threat of “organised crime including drugs, money laundering, fraud, criminal finances, intellectual property, immigration and cyber crime”, the home secretary’s reluctance to fall in with the rest of government was evident.