September 24, 2026 — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham asked President Donald Trump to press Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the release of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai during the two leaders’ White House summit today, according to Politico reporting cited by The Times. Burnham made the request during his first face-to-face meeting with Trump in New York on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. A Downing Street statement confirmed Lai’s case was among the subjects discussed, restating Britain’s call for the immediate release of British citizen Jimmy Lai.
SOURCE CLAIMS:
- Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the conversation, that Trump agreed with the call for Lai’s release and said the Hong Kong publisher should be allowed to spend the rest of his life in the United Kingdom.
- Sebastien Lai, Lai’s son, told The Times he was grateful Burnham raised his father’s case and said he hoped and expected Trump would agree to Burnham’s request to issue a new appeal to Xi for clemency at Thursday’s summit.
- Sebastien Lai said his father, 78, is in failing health and has spent more than 2,000 days in prison: “Wouldn’t that be a bigger headache for the Hong Kong and Chinese governments? After all, a martyr never dies.”
- Sebastien Lai said his sister Claire announced a cancer diagnosis two weeks ago.
- The International Press Institute separately called on Trump to make Lai’s release a priority at the September 24 meeting, describing Lai’s health as “deteriorating rapidly behind bars.”
VERIFIED FACTS (per cited reporting):
- Burnham and Trump held their first in-person meeting Tuesday, September 22, in New York on the UN General Assembly sidelines, lasting about 40 minutes.
- Trump previously raised Lai’s case with Xi during the May 2026 Beijing summit; Xi told him it would be “difficult,” according to The Times.
- A Hong Kong court sentenced Lai, 78, to 20 years in prison on February 9, 2026, for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. Lai, founder of the now-closed Apple Daily, has been held since 2020 and is a British citizen.
- Trump personally welcomed Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday’s White House summit; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington and Beijing agreed to extend their trade truce to January 10, 2027 (Reuters).
UNCONFIRMED: whether Trump raised Lai’s case with Xi at Thursday’s summit.
What you can do: contact U.S. officials and your representatives to ask that Jimmy Lai’s case be raised at the summit; share this page to keep the case visible while the summit is underway.
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Sources
- The Times, “Ask Xi to free my father, Jimmy Lai’s son urges Trump” (paywalled), September 2026
- The Times UNGA live blog, “Burnham asked Trump to raise case of Jimmy Lai with China” (Politico attribution), September 2026
- International Press Institute, “United States: Trump must make Jimmy Lai’s release a priority during Xi visit,” September 2026
- mworld.news, “Burnham Urges Trump to Raise Jimmy Lai Release With Xi” (citing Politico), September 2026
- chronicle.ng, “Andy Burnham tells Trump Iran must never have nuclear weapon” (UK PM Office statement reporting), September 2026