THE House of Commons Speaker has refused permission for a Chinese Government delegation to attend the Queen’s Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall within the Parliament complex before the funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, according to UK media reports.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle is said to have refused a request for access to Westminster Hall due to Chinese sanctions against five British members of Parliament and two peers for accusing Beijing of mistreating its Uighur Muslim minority, ‘Politico’ and BBC have reported.

While the House of Commons said it did not comment on security matters, the media reports claimed that China would have a presence at the funeral but not be allowed into the Parliament building. As Westminster Hall forms part of the parliamentary estate, it is under the control of the Commons and the Lords Speakers. The move is likely to further strain UK-China relations, which have been under some pressure in recent times. According to reports, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping as Head of State of a country with which the UK has diplomatic relations. It is thought that the Vice-President, Wang Qishan, will be sent in his place along with a Chinese delegation.

The latest development comes after the sanctioned MPs had raised objections about the Chinese President being invited to the funeral at all.