Claire Lai urges U.K. Prime Minister Starmer to secure the release of her father, Jimmy Lai, held in Hong Kong’s prison for over 1,850 days.
Newsroom (30/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) Claire Lai carries both a deep unease and a steadfast hope. As the daughter of imprisoned British citizen and Hong Kong media magnate Jimmy Lai, she admits she “wanted to be hopeful, but not too hopeful.” When she heard the story of St. Angela Merici on the very day Prime Minister Keir Starmer departed for Beijing, she said it was “exactly what I needed to hear.” It reminded her that both she and her father “should trust in our Lord’s good hands.”
For more than 1,850 days, Jimmy Lai has been locked behind Hong Kong’s bars, convicted under China’s sweeping national security law. Once the founder of Apple Daily, a now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper, Lai has become one of the most visible symbols of Beijing’s campaign against dissent. His daughter maintains that her father, now 78 and in fragile health, “never dimmed his faith” despite solitary confinement and worsening conditions.
Wall of Light and a Cry for Justice
As Starmer prepared for his Jan. 28 departure — the first trip by a British leader to China in eight years — the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK) illuminated Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament with a demand projected onto London’s skyline: “Bring British citizen Jimmy Lai home.”
The message spoke volumes. The CFHK said the projections “highlighted the awful reality” of Lai’s 1,854-day imprisonment. Human rights advocates have long described Hong Kong’s national security law as “draconian” — one that punishes pro-democracy activism under the guise of national unity. Lai’s conviction in December 2025 now leaves him facing a possible life sentence.
Diplomacy and Discontent
Landing in Beijing, Starmer told reporters he would “raise the issues that need to be raised,” later confirming a “respectful discussion” about human rights with President Xi Jinping. Yet many — including Lai’s family — questioned how forcefully Britain spoke for its own citizen.
In the same meeting, China agreed to allow British citizens 30-day visa-free entry and to halve import taxes on U.K. whisky. Officially, the visit spotlighted stronger trade ties. But to Jimmy Lai’s children, these gestures betrayed misplaced priorities.
“It is really quite outrageous that securing visa-free travel is considered a win,” said Claire, calling the visit “a huge gift to China.” She dismissed claims of a “good strong relationship” between Beijing and London, describing Britain’s diplomacy as “unavoidable” rather than mutual. “If the prime minister of Great Britain cannot respect its own citizens, including those being held hostage,” she asked, “how can one expect a country like China to respect him and Britain?”
Her brother, Sebastien Lai, echoed those concerns, telling The Times that their father’s freedom must come before any talk of normalized relations. “What’s happening to him — this cruel treatment — is not something we ever want to normalize.”
Faith and the Measure of a Nation
Claire’s criticism extended beyond diplomacy to moral leadership. “A nation is measured by its ability to defend its citizens,” she said firmly. Jimmy Lai, she reminds the world, “is a British, not Chinese, citizen.”
For her, faith remains both a refuge and a compass. After attending Mass on the day of Starmer’s trip, she felt her doubts ease. “Whatever happens, even if it’s a disappointment,” she prayed, “that God gives me the strength to persevere.” In Washington, she joined the faithful to pray a St. Jude Thaddeus novena, reaffirming her belief that her father’s fate — like all human efforts — rests in divine providence.
Despite his isolation, Lai’s letters to his daughter always end with prayers. “He just wants to offer it to God,” Claire said. “All the strength that I have comes from God, and the strength that I need will be provided by Him.”
An Urgent Appeal
As Britain deepens trade ties and prepares for another round of global diplomacy — including a planned April visit by former U.S. President Donald Trump to China — Claire vows to continue pressing for her father’s release. She expressed gratitude for the prayers and public support that sustain her family, emphasizing that “prayers definitely sustain him and sustain our family.”
Her words end not with anger, but with faith. “It would be a huge shame,” she said, “if China cannot even make that concession. It is one man. But he stood for the values Britain still holds.”
For Claire Lai, Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment is no longer just one man’s ordeal — it is a test of Britain’s conscience.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV news
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