
All Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet launched in the UK Parliament.
London: On 4 February 2025, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet (APPG Tibet) in the UK Parliament was launched with Chris Law, Scottish National Party MP, elected as its Chair at the inaugural meeting held in Portcullis House.
The seven parliamentarians, including a Crossbench Peer belonging to the ruling Labour Party, Conservative Party, and Scottish National Party and representing cross-party support for Tibet, approved the election of the group’s Chair and other Officers as mandated by the new rules governing the establishment of APPGs.
Lord (David) Alton of Liverpool, Crossbench Peer; Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham; Blair McDougall, Labour MP for East Renfrewshire; Jessica Morden, Labour MP for Newport East; Seamus Logan, SNP MP for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East and Danny Kruger, Conservative MP for East Wiltshire joined the meeting to express their solidarity with Tibet.
After the election of the group’s officers, Chris Law began by announcing the launch of the APPG Tibet and thanking the parliamentarians for their support. He then welcomed Representative Tsering Yangkey, who took charge at the Office of Tibet, London, less than three months ago, to say a few words.
Representative Yangkey thanked Chris and Members of the APPG Tibet for launching this group in the new parliament today. She expressed her hope and optimism of gaining higher political visibility for Tibet through the vital work of the APPGT. Representative Yangkey mentioned the tragic loss of lives and damage to homes and monasteries from the devastating earthquake that struck central Tibet.
John Jones, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research at Free Tibet, Secretariat for the APPG Tibet, provided a brief overview of the current situation in Tibet with special focus on Tibet’s environment, drawing attention to the role of Siemens Energy, Credit Agricole, and Schroders, as international investors and partners of China Huadian, the company behind Khamtok Dam in Tibet, and explaining the campaign of Tibet groups globally targeting the global companies in calling for them to end their support of China’s exploitation and mega development in Tibet.
The Tibetan Community in Britain’s General Secretary mentioned China’s aggressive push to replace the name Tibet with the Chinese term Xizang, including the British Museum’s use of the Chinese term for Tibet in a couple of panels forming part of the ongoing Silk Route exhibition. The group noted this concern and determined to address this issue.
Tibet Action Institute’s Dechen Pemba mentioned the mandatory colonial boarding school system in Tibet, where almost 80% of school-age children, nearly a million Tibetan children, some as young as four, are assimilated into the majority Han culture. Pemba highlighted the recent New York Times story, which she said marked a milestone for their advocacy.
Chris Law drew the gathering’s attention to the Early Day Motion titled ‘Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration to the UK and Northern Europe’ (EDM No. 719) that he had tabled and encouraged the MPs to sign.
The meeting discussed the upcoming 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (6 July) and the 30th anniversary of China’s abduction of Tibet’s Panchen Lama (17 May). A reception to celebrate the Tibetan New Year in the UK Parliament in late March was also discussed and noted.
A representative of the International Tibet Network, the Chairperson and council members of the Tibetan Community in Britain, Jane Rasch of Tashi Lhunpo Trust UK and Tibet supporter Giles Ford attended the meeting.
Chris Law MP, Chair, drew the meeting to a close with the next date for the meeting pencilled for early May 2025.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, London


