Following the United States Congress’s banning of the English edition of the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece newspaper, “China Daily,” in March this year, the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom has taken action to stop the automatic delivery of this publication to Members of Parliament’s offices.
This move comes in response to inquiries from Alicia Kearns, a Conservative Party MP in the UK Parliament, about whether the publication should be banned. Kearns took to social media on Tuesday, July 29, and stated, “Finally, the behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party sending propaganda materials to Members’ offices has completely ceased.”
Kearns emphasized that “China Daily is a blatant attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to fabricate false narratives about its numerous human rights abuses and the substantial security threat it poses,” adding that the publication has “no place in Parliament.”
In her post, she further pointed out that “the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to influence British politics, and British taxpayers are unwittingly funding this, which is wholly unacceptable.”
Since 2016, China Daily has been sent in bulk to the Parliament’s mail screening center, with the address marked for all Members despite no active request from the parliamentary administrative department. For those members who do not wish to continue receiving it, the Parliament has offered an opt-out email address.
Members of Parliament have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the publication entering Parliament without request.
Nick Smith, Chair of the Administration Committee in the House of Commons and a Labour Party MP, has requested a review of the bulk mail delivery process, including associated costs, and ultimately decided to completely halt the automatic delivery of China Daily.
Benedict Rogers, Co-founder and Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission and Trustee of Hong Kong Watch, thanked Kearns for her efforts on social media platform X, stating, “We do not want the Chinese Communist Party’s lies and propaganda to bombard our democratic core. Thank you, Alicia Kearns, for your efforts.”