Anger among MPs as Chinese vice-president to attend Queen’s funeral

Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan signs a condolence book next to the British ambassador to China, Caroline Wilson, at the British Embassy in Beijing. Photograph: Xie Huanchi/AP

The Chinese vice-president, Wang Qishan, is to attend the Queen’s funeral in a move that has prompted complaints from a group of British Conservative MPs that have been banned from travelling to China due to their campaigns against Chinese repression.

Wang will be the most senior Asian political leader to attend the service at Westminster Abbey and among the representatives of authoritarian states, a grouping that also includes Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to lead a delegation to London, although his attendance at the funeral has not yet been confirmed.