AN MP was banned from entering Hong Kong to visit her newborn grandson after being held at the airport, quizzed and force to fly home.

Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat, flew to the region on Thursday – where her passport was removed.

She was then subjected to questioning over the purpose of her visit, while her bags were thoroughly searched and swabbed.

Officials then put her on the first flight home five hours later – with no explanation.

The 65-year-old, who was elected in Bath in 2017, was left “shocked” by the ordeal and “very close to tears”, according to The Times.

She expressed, “When I received the decision, my voice was trembling, and I kept asking, ‘Why, can you explain it to me?’ They never provided any explanation. It felt incredibly harsh.

“I just said: ‘I want to see my grandson, I want to cuddle him. He was born three months ago, what is the problem?’ I am obviously devastated.”

She also said that she was not even permitted to hug her son, who she hadn’t seen for a year and who was waiting for her in arrivals.

Wera suspects the situation arose because of her status as an MP and has criticized the lack of free speech in the area, which remained under British rule until 1997.

She is also a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group that scrutinises human rights in China.

Members of the committee were warned about a potential ban from Hong Kong in 2014 – after announcing a visit as part of an inquiry.

But Thursday’s events mark the first known instance of a MP being refused entry since 1997.

Wera’s husband, businessman William, was allowed to enter – but decided to return to the UK.

The pair’s son, an academic at a university, moved to Hong Kong in 2019.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticized the decision as “heartless” and urged foreign secretary David Lammy to urgently meet with the Chinese ambassador to “deliver a full explanation for why a British MP and her family have been subjected to such appalling treatment.”

He told The Times: “The UK cannot allow the Chinese government to attempt to undermine our democracy by intimidating our parliamentarians.”

Taking to X, he added: “Wera just wanted to visit her son in Hong Kong and meet her baby grandson for the first time.

“But after a 13-hour flight, the Chinese authorities turned her away – just because she’s a British MP.”

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