UK's latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong: national security legislation keeps expanding and eroding freedoms; China in ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration

Full report

According to the full text published on GOV.UK on October 22, 2026, the 'Six-monthly report on Hong Kong' was deposited in Parliament by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and covers January 1 to June 30, 2026; it is the 59th report in the series since 1997 and the first under Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who took up the post in July (edition number and appointment detail as reported by Hong Kong Free Press). In his foreword, Miliband recalled that under the 1984 Joint Declaration the Hong Kong SAR would maintain a high degree of autonomy and its rights, freedoms and way of life would be protected; while Hong Kong's economic, monetary and financial systems remained distinct from the mainland during the period, 'the evidence set out in this report demonstrates the expanding scope and application of national security legislation in Hong Kong and its increasing impact on freedom of expression, assembly, association and the press.'[1]

The conclusion restates that 'the UK continues to assess that China is in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration.' It says the common law system continues to operate in Hong Kong, but that national security legislation plays an increasingly prominent role across the legal system, media environment, civil society, education and public administration, and that 'the further expansion of national security related powers and procedures, alongside restrictions affecting rights and freedoms, remains a matter of concern.' The UK also reiterated its support for Hong Kongers through the British National (Overseas) visa route, which was expanded on February 9, 2026 to allow eligible adult children of BN(O) status holders — those under 18 at the 1997 handover — to apply independently.[1]

The expansion of enforcement and legislation receives the heaviest attention. The report records that on March 23, 2026 the Hong Kong Government amended the NSL Implementation Rules with immediate effect, enabling law enforcement to require access to electronic devices, including passwords and decryption information, during national security investigations, expanding powers to restrict travel and seize travel documents, and broadening authority to require the removal of online content. Citing Hong Kong Police statistics, the report states that by the end of 2025 a total of 385 individuals had been arrested for national security offences — 69 of them in 2025 — with more than half formally charged; at least five further prosecutions were recorded in the first half of 2026, including three for subversion and two for terrorism. As of June 2026, police had issued 34 arrest warrants for individuals overseas, with rewards of HKD $200,000 offered for 15 pro-democracy activists and members of the 'Hong Kong Parliament' in exile.[1]

The report devotes a full section to Jimmy Lai: convicted on December 15, 2025 on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications, he was sentenced on February 9, 2026 to a total of 20 years' imprisonment — the longest sentence imposed under the NSL to date — with British consular officials attending the sentencing. On February 26 the Court of Appeal overturned his separate fraud conviction and sentence; in March his legal team confirmed he would not appeal the national security conviction or sentence; and in April the Department of Justice applied to forfeit an estimated HKD $127 million in assets linked to his offences, with the hearing scheduled for November 30, 2026. Miliband wrote that he was 'deeply concerned and disturbed' by Lai's continued imprisonment and that the UK continues to call for his immediate release; then Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on sentencing day called the prosecution politically motivated, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised Lai's case directly with President Xi during his January 29 visit to Beijing.[1]

Other major cases include the 'NSL 47': on February 23, 2026 the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeals of 12 defendants and upheld the original convictions and sentences, and by the end of the period 20 of the 45 convicted defendants had been released after completing their sentences. The trial of three former Hong Kong Alliance committee members — Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan — on incitement-to-subversion charges began on January 22; Ho pleaded guilty, Chow and Lee pleaded not guilty, and closing submissions concluded in May after 24 hearing days. Joshua Wong's collusion case was transferred to the High Court on May 14, 2026. Under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the report counts at least 47 arrests and 14 charges since the ordinance took effect in March 2024, with sedition cases continuing in this period: a 68-year-old retiree was jailed for eight months over 130 online 'seditious' posts from an account with barely ten followers; a Falun Gong member received 12 months; independent booksellers were arrested on March 24 and again on June 24. The father of wanted activist Anna Kwok was sentenced to eight months for attempting to deal with assets in her name — a case his daughter described as transnational repression.[1]

Institutionally, the report records the eighth-term Legislative Council elections of December 7, 2025: turnout in the geographical constituencies was 31.9%, with 41,231 invalid ballots, 41.3% of them blank — a 17% increase on 2021. It also notes the State Council's February 10 White Paper 'Hong Kong: Safeguarding China's National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems'; the June 15 launch of a two-month consultation on Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan, framed as aligning with China's 15th Five-Year Plan; and the judiciary: six overseas non-permanent judges from common law jurisdictions were serving on the Court of Final Appeal at the end of the period, ten have left since the NSL was imposed in 2020, and Chief Justice Andrew Cheung acknowledged in January the challenges of recruiting overseas judges in the current geopolitical environment. The report also notes the US State Department's April report under the Hong Kong Policy Act, which stated that Beijing and Hong Kong authorities had 'systematically degraded Hong Kong's political autonomy and civilians' rights and freedoms' through national security legislation.[1]

In response, the Hong Kong SAR Government issued a statement on October 23 'strongly condemning and firmly rejecting' the report, calling its contents 'untruthful remarks, slanders and smears', stating that the UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong after its return to China, and urging the UK to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which it said are purely China's internal affairs; it also said Hong Kong's media landscape has remained vibrant since the NSL and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance were implemented. The report itself records statements by the PRC Foreign Ministry's office in Hong Kong and the Liaison Office on the Lai verdict. The NGO Hong Kong Watch, for its part, criticised the report for maintaining that Hong Kong retains legal and financial autonomy, arguing this underestimates the erosion of the rule of law and basic freedoms.[1][3]

Verification note and connection to this site: the core facts in this record — the deposit date, the reporting period, the foreword and conclusion assessments, case figures and dates — are taken directly from the full report text published on GOV.UK, a first-tier official source; the Hong Kong Government's reaction is taken from its official news bulletin. The report's conclusions are the UK Government's position and have been publicly rejected by the Hong Kong SAR Government; this site endorses neither side and records both as attributed material. The report was published on October 22, outside this site's 24-hour daily-update window, and was backfilled on October 26, 2026 on the site operator's decision. This site will follow the November 30 forfeiture hearing in the Lai case and the next six-monthly report (July–December 2026). This record is classified as under ongoing verification.[1][3]

[Update — October 30, 2026] Hong Kong Free Press reported on October 23 that China's embassy in London had responded to the report on October 22, condemning the UK for 'blatantly interfering with China's internal affairs' through the six-monthly reports. An embassy spokesperson said: 'British colonial rule in Hong Kong is long gone. The UK has no sovereignty over Hong Kong, nor does it have any right of governance or supervision over Hong Kong. It is in no position and has no right to meddle in Hong Kong affairs.' The embassy added that the Hong Kong judiciary's handling of the cases of Jimmy Lai and Tiananmen vigil activists should not be interfered with, and urged the British authorities to stop issuing the six-monthly report. HKFP's report also confirms that the Hong Kong government's October 23 response condemned 'untruthful remarks, slanders and smears' with 'strong condemnation and firm rejection' — consistent with the government statement recorded here from news.gov.hk. [4]