Chinese sanctions against British MPs and peers have been lifted following Sir Keir Starmer’s talks with Xi Jinping – but the group of parliamentarians affected warned they should not be used as a “bargaining chip” in talks with Beijing.

The lifting of the restrictions, which included a ban on travel to China, was promised by the Chinese president in his talks with the Prime Minister.

But the MPs and peers, including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said lifting restrictions on them should not be used as part of a deal to ease sanctions on Chinese politicians involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.

Sir Keir revealed the sanctions on MPs and peers had been lifted during a series of broadcast interviews in Shanghai, saying he had been “duty-bound” to raise the issue.

He told ITV News: “This has been a cause of concern in Parliament and for parliamentarians for some time and that is why I raised it on this visit.

“And the response from the Chinese is that the restrictions no longer apply and President Xi has told me that that means that all parliamentarians are welcome to visit.

“That underscores the point I’ve been making all along, which is if you engage, if you come and visit and have that leader-to-leader dialogue, you can not only take the opportunities which we have been taking, but also resolve some of the more difficult issues between our two countries.”

Asked whether he was confident the parliamentarians would be safe travelling to China, he told Times Radio: “Well, of course.”

He added: “This was one of the issues that I was, you know, bound to, duty-bound to raise it, and I did raise it.”

The Chinese foreign ministry said: “The two sides agreed in principle to resume normal exchanges between the legislatures of the two countries.

“China welcomes British parliamentarians who have the willingness to visit China more and experience the real China.”

The UK imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and a state-run organisation involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, including against the Uighur Muslim minority.

It is understood that Britain will not be lifting restrictions in exchange. In response, in 2021 Beijing imposed sanctions on senior politicians including Sir Iain, former security minister Tom Tugendhat, Commons deputy speaker Nus Ghani, Tory MP Neil O’Brien, former MP Tim Loughton and peers Lord Alton of Liverpool and Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws.

In a joint statement they said: “In response to rumours that Beijing is considering lifting sanctions on us in exchange for diplomatic and economic concessions, we wish to make our position unequivocally clear: we would rather remain under sanction indefinitely than have our status used as a bargaining chip to justify lifting British sanctions on those officials responsible for the genocide in Xinjiang.

“We would reject any deal that prioritises our personal convenience over the pursuit of justice for the Uighur people.

“We stand in total solidarity with our families, former colleagues, and the civil society organisations who remain targeted by the People’s Republic of China.

“We will not accept any reprieve that applies only to sitting lawmakers while others, including civil society organisations, remain sanctioned.”

It is unclear whether the easing of sanctions will apply to Mr Loughton, who left Parliament at the 2024 election. By David Hughes and Christopher McKeon in Shanghai, PA Media

Photo courtesy nba.2k.com

Extension Will Feature Preseason NBA Global Games, Launch of NBA Global Academy, Additional Youth Development and Fan Programming, and Expanded Experience Abu Dhabi Sponsorship

The National Basketball Association (NBA) (www.NBA.com) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced an extension of their existing collaboration that will feature preseason NBA Global Games, expanded marketing activities, and the launch of an NBA Global Academy in the UAE capital. The long-term extension will also bring additional youth development and fan programming to Abu Dhabi and surrounding communities for years to come.

NBA Global Academy, which will be based in Abu Dhabi and serve as the global hub for the league’s NBA Academy program, will be a year-round elite basketball development and academic program for top high-school-age student-athletes from the UAE, the Middle East and around the world. The academy will include elite development programming for up to 20 local boys, basketball development activities for local girls and residential programming for up to 24 male prospects from the rest of the world.

“Extending our partnership with the NBA further strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as the new home of basketball in the Middle East and reinforces our commitment to our youth, inspiring our community, diversifying the economy, and elevating the emirate’s standing as a global destination,” said HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. 

“The establishment of the NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi will open pathways for Emirati and UAE-based athletes, coaches and sports professionals to learn from the world’s best, while our long-term hosting of the NBA Global Games will inspire the next generation. Beyond bringing world-class sporting events to our capital, the NBA’s youth programs and grassroots initiatives encourage healthy, active lifestyles and connect our residents to the universal values of sport. This multiyear commitment reflects Abu Dhabi’s ambition to be a hub for culture, entertainment and excellence, for both our residents and visitors alike.”

“Our collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi has been instrumental in growing basketball participation and fandom in the UAE and across the Middle East,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum. “We look forward to building on those efforts in the years to come, including through the launch of an NBA Global Academy that will help develop elite-level players from the region and around the world.”

Additional details about future NBA preseason games in Abu Dhabi, including the schedule and participating teams, will be announced at a later date.

The collaboration will see DCT Abu Dhabi, through its destination brand Experience Abu Dhabi, once again serve as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in the Middle East, China and Europe while expanding the territories in the destination partnership to also include Africa, Asia Canada and Latin America.  

The extended collaboration between DCT Abu Dhabi and the NBA will also feature the expansion of youth development programming that has reached more than 20,000 boys and girls since 2022, including plans to expand from the four existing Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA leagues in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Region to six leagues this fall and 12 leagues by 2028.

Abu Dhabi will also host two annual basketball tournaments featuring top youth and elite players from around the world, starting with the 2025 NBA Academy Showcase in Abu Dhabi, which was held at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus from Sept. 25-27 and featured top high-school-age players from four elite basketball programs: NBA Academy Africa (Senegal), IMG Academy (U.S.), INSEP (France) and the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.

The NBA Academy program provides a holistic approach to player development and a predictable pathway to maximize their potential.  The program emphasizes health and wellness, character development, and life skills and gives athletes the opportunity to learn the game from coaches with professional, collegiate and international experience.  More than 150 NBA Academy student-athletes have represented their national teams at various levels, more than 100 have committed to or gone on to attend NCAA Division I schools in the U.S., and more than 40 have played, are playing, or have signed to play professionally, including 15 who have advanced to the NBA.

The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 presented by ADQ featured two sold-out preseason games between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 2 and Oct. 4 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The games were part of a multiyear collaboration between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that features preseason NBA Global Games, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Abu Dhabi League, a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, an NBA 2K League exhibition event and a series of Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA and NBA Cares clinics promoting health and wellness while teaching the fundamentals of the sport and instilling core values including teamwork, respect and sportsmanship.

NBA games have aired in the UAE since the 1987-88 season.  Eight NBA teams have played preseason games in Abu Dhabi since 2022. Since the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games, basketball participation has increased by 60% in the UAE and basketball’s fanbase in the country has grown by more than 25%, according to YouGov research.

Fans can follow the NBA on Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3NzNau0) and X (https://apo-opa.co/49OROvs) (@ NBAArabic) for the latest updates, news and content in Arabic. NBA fans in the UAE and across the Middle East can shop online at https://NBAStoreME.com and at the NBA Store at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi for the widest selection of official NBA merchandise in the region. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).

By Press Association Reporters/The Independent

Sir Keir Starmer will seek to steady the ship amid a tumultuous rift between Donald Trump and European countries over Greenland as the US President marks one year in the White House.

The Prime Minister will hold talks with ministers at his weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, following his call for calm in response to the US leader’s threats of a trade war.

Yvette Cooper will then face a grilling from MPs during Foreign Office questions in the Commons, where the crisis over the dispute over the mineral-rich Arctic territory is likely to feature high on the agenda.

The US president said on Monday evening he was 100% committed to hitting the UK and European allies with tariffs over their opposition to his plan to annex Greenland. 

US President Donald Trump has committed to hitting the UK and European allies with tariffs (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)

The dispute caps the first year of Mr Trump’s second presidency, during which Sir Keir has sought to avoid public disagreements with the White House amid strained relations between the US and Europe.

The president has imposed import taxes on foreign nations and argued that Nato allies should increase their contributions to the military bloc. 

The Prime Minister’s approach has faced an unprecedented challenge over the last week as the US President heightened his threats to take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous region in the Kingdom of Denmark.

In an emergency press conference in Downing Street on Monday morning, Sir Keir said the future sovereignty of the territory was solely a matter for it and Denmark, adding: “The use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.“It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland security as a justification for economic pressure.”

He said the dispute over the territory, which Mr Trump wants to take over because of its strategic Arctic location, should be resolved through “calm discussion between allies” rather than military action.

The US President again refused to rule out using the armed forces to seize the island just hours after Sir Keir’s press conference, during which he played down the prospect of a US invasion of Greenland.

Asked if he would use force to seize Greenland, the president told NBC News: “No comment.”

He also said that he would charge Britain a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent to the US from February 1, increasing to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.

Mr Trump said the same would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland – all of whom are members of Nato.

Mr Trump is expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week, where Chancellor Rachel Reeves is also due to take part in a panel discussion alongside US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

A UK delegation will also include Trade Secretary Peter Kyle and Foreign Secretary Ms Cooper, though there are no current plans for Sir Keir to go, it is understood.

Mr Kyle said the Government is having “frank” talks with US officials over the tariff threat and is in regular contact with Mr Lutnick and American trade representative Jamieson Greer. 

“We have good, strong relationships. One of the things I’ve enjoyed in getting to know the US administration has been that they are all individual characters and very unique characters,” he said.

However, he added that the UK-US relationship had been “tested” and “of course, we’re having frank conversations.”

“But in my experience, all of the key protagonists in the administration thrive on frank conversations and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

There appeared to be an agreed condemnation of the US president’s latest actions across the political spectrum.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge told the Press Association it was “absolutely critical” to stand up to Mr Trump’s threats through close engagement with the US administration, adding: “It is totally unacceptable, and I hope the wider American public, congressmen et cetera, recognise that and, of course, the administration.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for a package of tariffs on America coordinated with European allies after branding the US president’s actions “economic thuggery that cannot go unanswered”.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested negotiation was a preferred response to a trade war, but described Mr Trump’s threats of tariffs as “wrong”, and said he would be “having some words with the American administration” about it in Davos. 

On Monday, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle welcomed Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US house of representatives, to Parliament.

Mr Johnson will address members of both Houses during an official visit on Tuesday to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.