Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong, is leading criticism of David Cameron’s government for failing to condemn China’s contentious voting reforms in the former British colony, saying Britain has a “moral responsibility” to speak out.
Writing in the Financial Times today, Lord Patten calls into question Britain’s “sense of honour” in failing to condemn China’s planned voting reforms in Hong Kong, which he said would introduce the kind of stage-managed democracy seen in Iran.
Ministers had “moral responsibilities” for what happened in Hong Kong, he said, suggesting that the UK was failing to speak out because it was worried about commercial reprisals.