A Hong Kong pro-Beijing party has staged a demonstration outside the city’s British consulate over a high-profile spying case that led to the jailing of two Chinese-Britons in the UK . The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, a pro-Beijing group, stages a demonstration outside the British consulate in Hong Kong on June 23, 2026. Photo: HKFTU, via Facebook. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) on Tuesday protested against the jailing of retired police officer Bill Yuen, who worked as a manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), which represents Hong Kong’s government in London.
The jailing of Yuen was a “complete political manipulation and judicial fabrication, interfering with China’s internal policies and Hong Kong affairs,” Stanley Ng, HKFTU chair and a lawmaker, said in Cantonese.
“The British government should recognise the global trend and correct its path as soon as possible to avoid damaging the normal trade and personnel exchange between China and the UK,” Ng said.
Yuen, 66, was sentenced to eight years behind bars last week after he was found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the UK’s national security laws.
Ng did not mention the second defendant in the case, former UK Border Force officer Peter Wai, 41, who was jailed for 10 years on the same charge, as well as a charge of misconduct in public office.
The demonstration was attended by some 30 FTU members, including Ng and fellow lawmakers Joephy Chan and Lee Kwong-yu. From left: Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO) official Bill Yuen and former UK Border Force officer Peter Wai. Photos: Metropolitan Police. Yuen and Wai were arrested in 2024. UK authorities accused the pair of gathering intelligence and surveilling Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy protesters living in Britain.
The court heard the pair targeted prominent campaigners such as Nathan Law, as well as UK politicians, including Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the opposition Conservative Party and a critic of Beijing.
When approached for comment, the British consulate referred HKFP to comments by Security Minister Angela Eagle. She said last week that the sentences sent a message that London will not tolerate anyone compromising the country’s security to assist a foreign state.
“We will continue to hold China to account and take action against anything that puts the safety of people in our country at risk. This includes the Hong Kong Police Force’s use of arrest warrants and bounties, which encourage illegal behaviour on UK soil… This case has shown the strength of our powers under the National Security Act to crack down on hostile activity, and the consequences are clear – when you’re caught, you will face a long time behind bars.”
‘Full force of the law’
Separately, on Monday, Dianne Hayter, a member of the UK House of Lords, asked what plans the British government had to protect Hongkongers living in the country from “transnational repression,” as well as to review the operations of the HKETO.
In response, David Hanson, minister of state at the UK Home Office, said any foreign attempts to intimidate, harass, or harm people living in Britain “will not be tolerated.”
“This trial has shown that anyone working to assist a foreign state to undermine our security will face the full force of the law,” he said.
“The foreign secretary [Yvette Cooper] has also made it clear to both the Chinese government and directly to the HKETO that these activities are unacceptable and clearly counterproductive to our relationship,” he added.
Hanson also said the UK Home Office has stepped up protections of its systems, including implementing enhanced integrity checks and reviewing its conflict of interest policies. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Authorities also updated government guidance on transnational repression and provided training for frontline police officers, he said.
China called the jailing of the two men “a classic political farce” last week, while the Hong Kong government denied what it called “unfounded allegations and smearing” by the UK.
“The UK side initiated the case on groundless accusations, abused law and manipulated judicial procedures to secure conviction,” the Hong Kong government said in a statement.