Anger over Chinese leaders invited to Queen's funeral - despite Parliament's ban on ambassador

A group of MPs and peers said it was "extraordinary that the architects of the genocide" against Uyghur Muslims were invited to attend the funeral of the queen

The Queen with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015 (

Image: PA)

Senior Tories have expressed anger over the decision to invite Chinese leaders to the Queen's state funeral on Monday.

In a letter to the Speakers of the Commons and Lords, a group of MPs and peers said it was "extraordinary that the architects of the genocide" against Uyghur Muslims were invited to attend.

Some 500 foreign leaders are expected to attend the funeral, but no invitations have been sent to Russia and Belarus after diplomatic relations broke down due to the war in Ukraine.

Myanmar was also excluded because its government seized power in a military coup. It is understood that some countries, including Iran, will only be represented at ambassadorial level.

Tory MPs Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton – who were among politicians sanctioned by Beijing for speaking out against the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province – have sounded the alarm over the decision to invite China at the state funeral.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith is among the British parliamentarians sanctioned by China (

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The letter, also signed by Labor counterpart Lord Alton and Labor counterpart Baroness Kennedy, said: "We are very concerned to learn that the Chinese government has been invited to attend the state funeral on next week, despite other countries like Russia, Belarus and