UK Bans Circulation of CCP’s ‘China Daily’ in Parliament

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Jul 31, 2025 - 10:00 Updated: Jul 31, 2025 - 09:56
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UK Bans Circulation of CCP’s ‘China Daily’ in Parliament
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The UK House of Commons has banned the delivery of a Chinese state newspaper, following a similar move by the U.S. Congress in March.

The English-language edition of China Daily, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece owned by its Central Propaganda Department, had been delivered to all UK Members of Parliament’s (MP) offices since 2016.

This halt came in response to a question raised in January by Conservative MP Alicia Kearns to the House of Commons Commission, asking whether the circulation of the publication would be banned.

After the review of the commission, “The delivery of Chinese Communist Party propaganda to MPs’ offices has finally stopped entirely,” she posted on X on 29 July.

She added, it was “completely wrong” for the CCP to “exert influence over British politics to be inadvertently funded by British taxpayers.”

Kearns said China Daily was the CCP’s “blatant attempt” to “create a false narrative on the many human rights atrocities they have committed and the immense security threat they present.”

She thanked House Speaker Lindsay Hoyle for taking action, adding that China Daily “has no place in Parliament.”

Nick Smith, chairman of the Administration Committee, replied to Kearns’s January enquiry, saying that China Daily had been delivered to the UK House of Commons mail screening centre in bulk, addressed to all members, for nine years.

“The bulk delivery has never been requested by the Administration,” he said, adding that “Members must now opt-in to continue to receive specific mailings, such as the China Daily. At the present time, no Members subscribe to the China Daily.”

Hoyle has since ordered the Administration Committee to review the bulk mail delivery process, and ultimately to halt China Daily’s automated delivery altogether.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and trustee of Hong Kong Watch, welcomed the news on X, retweeting Kearns and thanking her for her efforts.

“We don’t want the CCP’s lies and propaganda bombarding the heart of our democracy. Thank you @AliciaKearns for your efforts,” he said.

In the United States, longtime newspaper distributor National News had distributed China Daily to all Congressional offices in Washington, D.C., for many years. After lawmakers raised frustrations with the publication to the Committee on House Administration, it took action to stop it.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar released a statement on March 11, following the halt of circulation of China Daily to House Office Buildings.

“We took action to directly block the Chinese Communist Party from using the halls of the People’s House to spread its propaganda. We appreciate National News’s swift cooperation on this important issue,” the statement reads.
In February 2020, then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated China Daily and four other Chinese state-run media outlets—Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, and the People’s Daily—as “foreign missions” under the Foreign Missions Act.
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