Hong Kong LegCo condemns UK official's comments on Hong Kong national security case
Hong Kong's Legislative Council has strongly criticised a UK Foreign Office official for comments on a national security case, calling them inaccurate and an interference in Hong Kong affairs. The LegCo spokesperson defended the court's sentencing as upholding the law and constitutional order.
Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) has issued a strong condemnation of comments made by a British Foreign Office official regarding the sentencing of defendants in a national security case, rejecting what it described as inaccurate and biased remarks that undermine Hong Kong's judicial system.
In a statement released on 5 October 2026, the LegCo spokesperson expressed strong opposition and dissatisfaction with the UK Foreign Office's Indo-Pacific affairs official, who had written to British MPs about the verdict in the case involving the Hong Kong Alliance, a group that had been banned under the city's national security law. The LegCo said the official's comments misrepresented the ruling and constituted interference in Hong Kong's internal affairs.
The LegCo spokesperson said that Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law and that the Legislative Council firmly supports the High Court's sentencing, which it said upholds legal justice and defends the constitutional order established by China's Constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong. The spokesperson added that the LegCo opposes any foreign attempts to defame the ruling or interfere in China's internal affairs.
Reaffirming the government's earlier response to the UK's so-called "Hong Kong six-month report", the LegCo said the core purpose of the Sino-British Joint Declaration is China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong, and that the UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or oversight over Hong Kong since its return to China. The spokesperson said the UK official's claim that the defendants were convicted only for "peaceful commemorative activities" was a distortion of facts, noting that the court had stated the defendants were tried not for their political beliefs or actions before the national security law took effect, but for continuing to engage in acts aimed at undermining the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party as established under the Constitution, which they committed after the law came into force, thereby endangering national security.
The LegCo spokesperson further said that the Chinese Constitution clearly identifies the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party as the core of the national constitutional order, and that no country's constitution permits the subversion of its established constitutional order or fundamental institutions. The spokesperson accused the UK of hypocrisy for applying its own strict national security laws while criticising Hong Kong's lawful efforts to protect national security, and demanded that the UK immediately cease any interference in Hong Kong affairs.
The LegCo spokesperson concluded by stating that since the implementation of the Hong Kong national security law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Hong Kong's rule of law has been strengthened and residents' legally protected freedoms have been better secured. The LegCo said it supports the government in fully implementing national security laws to ensure the stable and long-term implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle.
